Nice Guys Finish Last
by Jana Girl123
Summary: AU After failing to say three simple words, Question finds himself still trying to win the heart of one Helena Bertinelli fifteen years later, even if she's already married. Borderline T/M
1. Missed Opportunity

**A/N I own nothing, all character belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Summary- A what if scenario. What if the JLU episode 'Double Date' had ended differently?**

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><p><em>It had been a long night filled with fighting and the thirst for revenge.<em>

_Question watched wide-eyed as the masked vigilante known as Huntress circled around her prey. "I have special arrows too; the pointy kind that'll go right through you." She threatened while walking towards him._

_Q waited patiently for what he was waiting for to arrive, then, "Papa!" _

_A look of confusion and shock flashed across Huntress' beautiful face. As Mandragora began to explain why Edgar was here and who he was, she regained her stance and tightened her grip on the crossbow. "Rest assured?" She repeated. "I'm about to teach you the same lesson."_

_"All I wanted was for my son and I to disappear together." He continued, hoping she'd change her mind. As she placed her finger over the trigger he realized that she wasn't going to budge. "Get behind me, Edgar." He ordered quietly. "It'll be alright."_

_Question knew she wouldn't do it; Helena was many things but she wasn't a murderer. However, when he saw Helen narrow her eyes, he began to get worried. "Huntress!" He called, cradling his bruised arm and taking a few careful steps towards her. His voice softened, "Is this really what you want?"_

_He watched as her gaze shift back towards the family as she seemed lost in memory. Her eyes suddenly widened before narrowing once more. "No." At the last second she adjusted her arm so the bow fired at the rope, snapping it and causing the crates to rain down on Mandragora. Q ducked slightly as ruble fell on top of the group. "That's not what I want at all."_

_A few minutes later the feds pulled up, removing Mandragora from the rubble and placing hand-cuffs on his wrists. The small group had reunited and were now discussing what was happening. "Mandragora never had any intention of cooperating with the police." Q explained. "He was just stalling until his son arrived." _

_He knows he shouldn't brag; after all, finding information on him was easy. Maybe he was just showing off, but he couldn't help but feel as though he had a right to be proud of what he'd accomplished. "Their new identities were already in place, not to mention a Cayman island account full of ill-gotten things to finance their new lives."_

_"You knew all along that kid was going to be on that crater." She stated simply._

_"I do my homework." He smiled under his fedora, winking at her with a tip of his hat while wishing he could show her his face. He wished he were better looking; more to her standards then he really was. Maybe he could be the brains to her bronze._

_"Then why go to all the trouble to help me? Why risk your life for me?" He froze; despite all of his knowledge and detective work he'd never thought she'd ask him that. In his mind he had rehearsed what he'd say a thousand times, 'Because I like you.' Such simple words that should have been easy to say. But now that he was here in front of Helena herself, he couldn't._

_He wanted to so badly, but he couldn't. What if she didn't feel the same? He knew that a woman like that would have no real reason to like him, he was hardly someone you'd proudly introduced your parents too. He wanted to tell her how he felt, he really did. He just couldn't seem to get the words out. "Because...of the aglets." He said slowly._

_"Huh?" Helena frowned. "What's an aglet?"_

_"The plastic tip at the end of your shoelace." He explained._

_"And what does that have to do with helping me?" _

_"Mandragora and his men are in the Mafia, and those Italian leather shoes they like have the worst aglets of them all." He lied. "I needed to stop this and figured taking down one of the dons would help." _

_"Okay..." Helena looked at him in amusement. "Are you kidding me or do you really believe they're dangerous?"_

_"I never kid." He said honestly. "And yes; aglets are sinister."_

_She walked over to him and smiled, placing her hand on her hip. "You're crazy; you know that, right?"_

_"I am very well aware of that fact." He replied hoping she didn't think that for real._

_"I feel like I should do something for you now." She admitted. "You helped me with so much and all I've done is help you with the uh, shoelaces."_

_"Aglets." He corrected her._

_"Still..." She looked around in thought. "Wanna go grab a cup of coffee?"_

_He gestured to his mask. "I would, but..."_

_"Oh." _

_A slightly embarrassed look flashed across her face and he suddenly felt a tad guilty. "But I'd still like to go." He said quickly. "Just won't drink anything while we're there."_

_"Great." She smiled, gesturing for him to follow her. "Follow me."_

_"Hurm." He muttered. But he couldn't help but add under his breath, "I'd follow you anywhere."_

_"What was that?"_

_"Nothing."_

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><p><strong>Present Day (15 years later)<strong>

Question stole a look at Huntress lurched on top of the ledge on the building they were on out of the corner of his eye.

"I should've brought my winter uniform." She shivered. "It's freezing out here."

"Want to borrow my coat?" Q offered.

"Nah." She sighed. "So how much longer do we have on patrol?"

He checked his watch. "Seventeen more minutes and we're free."

"Thank God." Helena muttered. "I hate winter patrol; it's boring and I always freeze my ass off."

"It's better than summer patrol." Vic opined. "Hot and humid nights with no end in sight."

"I like summer." Helen frowned. "My outfit keeps me cool and I don't have any brats to teach until September."

"And I prefer winter because my uniform keeps me warm." Q finished. "Guess we all have times of the year when we have to be tough."

"I guess." She conceded, looking down at the city. "Isn't Gotham so beautiful at night?"

"You mean aside from the corruption, pollution, robbery's, rapes, and murderer's?"

She scowled at him. "Ha-ha."

"Yes, I think it is beautiful." He looked at Helena thoughtfully. "Very, very beautiful."

For a few moments a comfortable silence ensured until Q once again began to talk. "So, how are the kids?"

Helena thought of her three children and smiled. "Good, but they miss their Uncle Vic. You haven't been around as much as you normally are."

"I've been busy; tell them I'll come over this weekend." He replied. "Kind of surprised you let me near them, actually."

"Why?" Helena asked in surprise.

"Don't really know." He shrugged. "Not exactly a good influence. People in general don't really like having me around, much less around their kids."

"Well I do." Huntress murmured defiantly. "Screw everyone else."

"Have I ever told you how nice it is to have someone think that?" Vic chuckled.

Helena smiled at him and his head felt fuzzy. "Besides, Roger thinks it's cool you watch them for free."

He tensed up at the name of Helena's' husband but tried not to let it show. "He does?"

"Yep." She confirmed with a nod. "He does like you, you know. He just thinks you're a little too paranoid."

"With all the chaos and corruption in the world someone has to be." He looked at her curiously. "Do you?"

"Is that a trick question?" She teased. "Of course I think you're paranoid; but you wouldn't be the same if you weren't."

He ignored the warmth her answer gave him as it traveled through his body. "Glad someone thinks so."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." She scolded. "A lot of people like you."

"Hurm." He decided to change the subject. "I hear Batman finally is considering retirement."

"Yeah, right." Helena snorted. "Mark my words, he's just going to end up fighting crime in a new glorified bat suit."

"Probably." He conceded. "I don't think Bruce will ever fully retire."

"True, he'll probably be eighty and monitoring the new Batman from his house." A thought occurred to her, "Who told you that?"

"Oliver." He replied checking his watch. "4 AM, we're finished with patrol."

"Good." Helena replied standing up and stretching. She shot Vic a smile as she prepared to leave. "Bye, Vic."

"Goodnight, Helena." He replied quietly as she leaped off the roof and left him alone on the darkness, running home to her husband and children.

He fought back a longing sigh as he watched her go. She was beautiful, she treated him like an actual human being, and she had the most incredible right-hook he'd ever seen. That, among a million other things, made her the most incredible woman he'd ever met.

That's why he was secretly in love with her.

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><p><strong>AN Well I hope that captured your interest.**

**A/N Review please!**


	2. Loneliness

**A/N I own nothing, all character belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews:)**

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><p><em>Question looked over at Huntress and smiled beneath his mask.<em>

_"So wait, why are aglets sinister?" She frowned, trying to make sense of the odd theory._

_"Aglets contain a special formula that upon human contact emits a non-toxic chemical into the fingertips and throughout the bloodstream." He explained. "The chemical renders the shoestring user susceptible to suggestions that are in turn emitted by radio waves of TV, radio, and other audio devices. So do keyboard buttons."_

_"But you're on the computer all the time." She pointed out. "How come you aren't infected?"_

_"I wear gloves." _

_She looked at him suspiciously before grinning. "That actually makes sense."_

_"It does?" He exclaimed before he could stop himself. _

_"You sound surprised." _

_"No one ever believes me." Q muttered bitterly. "About anything, actually."_

_"That's because they think you're crazy." Helena sighed. "People hear about you and believe the rumors. They don't understand you so they think you're crazy."_

_"Exactly." He agreed. "But how do you know that?"_

_"They treat me the same way." She scowled. Her face softened, "We're not so different, you and I. Everyone sees us and assumes the worst."_

_'That's why we'd be good together,' He thought. 'we understand each other.' "Not like that's ever going to change."_

_"I know." She sighed. _

_Guilt flooded through him as he saw her face fall slightly with defeat. "Although who knows, the future isn't set in stone."_

_"I guess." Helena murmured. "But if something's meant to be it'll happen, right?"_

_He thought of them forming a relationship someday. "It will. I'm positive."_

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><p>Vic sighed as he entered his apartment, dropping his belongings at the door.<p>

He wandered into the kitchen and pulled a beer out of the small refrigerator, grimacing at the snap of the lid coming off the bottle. Vic exited towards the tiny den, plopping himself on a random chair and taking a sip of the beverage.

It wasn't to long until a familiar ache overtook him.

He looked at his small home, studying the blank walls and the empty kitchen while the deafening roar of silence slowly grew and grew until he was forced to admit a fact he'd rather keep to himself.

He was lonely.

He wasn't quite sure when it had began, but he knew it had been going on for quite some time now. Vic fought back a sigh as he reclined on the chair, contemplating his state of being.

Q could remember being younger and loving the emptiness of his life. He had no emotional ties to worry about as a weakness, he could sleep with as many women as he wanted, and he never had to worry about anyone but himself.

Then the loneliness began.

The best he could figure was it had something to do with his work. When studying the Conspiracy, the one fact that always remained the same was you could trust no one and you were alone in the world. As pessimistic as that sounded, he knew it was true. But still the feeling was there.

Then he'd met Helena.

He'd heard stories about her, of course, and he'd read through her file quickly. Question had been simply sitting in the dining hall minding his business while members passed him by, occasionally giving him a dirty look as they passed. But when a raven-haired woman passed him, she did the strangest thing.

She smiled at him.

A small, knowing smile meant just for him. A smile of acknowledgement that neither of them really belonged up here. Immediately he was suspicious; she had to be hiding something.

But when he investigated her he came up with nothing. Flustered and confused, he was just glad the strange occurrence was over.

Then it happened again during a League meeting.

This time he was more confused than ever, why did she keep doing that? When she turned away from him he studied her for a long time, noticing how in shape she was and to his horror how _attractive_.

It took a long time for him to talk to her, and an even longer time to admit to himself those feelings were there.

When she'd asked for help of course he gave it to her, how else was he supposed to prove his worth? The harder he tried and the closer they became he realized something incredible; he wasn't lonely anymore. But when the time came, he allowed nervousness to take over and said nothing about his feelings.

Only to regret it ever since.

Sighing, he got off the chair and silently headed towards his small bedroom, lifting up the covers and climbing inside. He hated this; falling asleep alone with Helena on his mind. All it ever did was taunt him with visions of what could have been.

Love was supposed to be a wonderful sensation that made you deliriously happy and filled you with warmth and joy.

So why did thinking of Helen always make him so depressed?

He ignored the question as he rolled over, attempting to fall asleep.

He dreamed of Helena one day joining him in his small bed as he drifted off.

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><p>Helena shivered and tightened the coat around her curvy body.<p>

Heals clicking against the pavement, she trudged home through the disgustingly cold weather and towards her Gotham apartment building. She slid the key into the lock and opened the door with a _click!_

"I'm back!" She called half-heartily, hanging up her coat and kicking off her heels.

"Good." A voice replied from the kitchen.

Helena wandered towards it and was greeted by the sight of her husband waiting patiently for her. He gestured to the table, "We need to talk."

"Hi to you too." She sighed. "What the hell about?"

"Your, uh, other job." He explained. "I still don't feel comfortable with you doing this."

She pinched her nose in an attempt to block the on-coming migraine. Helena had tried to keep the secret of her being Huntress from him for as long as she could, but about six months ago she'd begun to fill to deceptive. She wasn't having an affair or anything like that, but marriage was about being honest with each other.

So she told him. Roger had taken it as badly as she thought he would, and after all this time was still trying to get her to stop. "Well I don't feel comfortable knowing there are people and families getting hurt, people I can protect."

"What about protecting yourself and your own family?" He argued.

"I do! Look, I've been Huntress twice as long as I've known you, you can't just tell me to stop." Her voice softened. "I love you, but it's who I am and you need to accept that."

She wasn't lying; she did love him. Roger was exactly the kind of guy she'd always pictured herself getting together with; sexy, charming, smart, intelligent, and rich. He was someone her parents would have approved of and someone she was crazy about.

Well, when he wasn't being a thickheaded asshole, anyways.

"I don't feel comfortable with it." He repeated. "What if you get hurt?"

"I get hurt all the time and I'm still okay." Helena argued. She crossed her arms and looked him in the eye. "I know you don't like it, but you have to deal with it. If I get hurt, oh well. You can't expect me to just give up a part of myself, got it?"

He sighed and checked the clock. "I have to go."

"Now?" Helena asked in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't have to work late anymore."

"I thought I didn't." He shrugged. "But my secretary just called me and said I had something that needed attention to on my desk."

Helena looked at him sadly. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." She muttered. "I love you."

He kissed her cheek before leaving. "Love you, too."

Helena looked at the table as he left, letting her mind wander. She hated it when Roger had to work late and lately he'd been taking more and more shifts, often not getting home until four in the morning or the next day.

She sighed, Helena knew he did it for her and their children, but it still hurt. Vic suddenly crossed her mind and her frown deepened. Lately, she'd been worried about him.

She couldn't quite place it, but he seemed almost...depressed lately. Vic was one of her oldest and dearest friends and seeing him like that hurt her. She teased him that he needed a girlfriend but every time she did he gave her a look that she couldn't quite place and replied that he was waiting for someone special.

Either way, she cared about Vic. He was an old friend who'd helped her through a lot, the one person who'd been there when no one else was. She wanted him to be happy.

Sighing, she got up and headed towards her bedroom. She hated going to bed alone, but these days it was getting more frequent. Helena felt frustrated; maybe they just needed a vacation to rekindle.

She'd ask Vic what he thought when she saw him again tomorrow.

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><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	3. Lotion Leads To Dirty Thoughts

**A/N I own nothing. All characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews:) **

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><p><em>"Remind me again why I hang out with you."<em>

_"You're drawn to my eccentric charm." Vic replied calmly as he continued to type. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Helena in her Huntress gear threw a punch at a random guard._

_She rolled her eyes while executing a back flip, carelessly throwing another guard into a fax machine._

_Q paused in mid-type to watch her. Never had he seen someone be so destructive with so much grace. A beep brought him back to reality, signaling the files had been successfully copied._

_"Finished."_

_"Me too." She turned to face him. "Get what you came for?'_

_"I believe so." He tucked the small device into his coat. "If there's a link between Cadmus and Luthor I'll find it here."_

_"And you did that all with a Nintendo DS?" She grinned._

_"It's not a gaming system, it is an electronic device used for copying files and downloading information."_

_"Well it looks like a DS."_

_"Please, do you really think I'd allow such a sinful corporation to touch files as precious as these are?"_

_Her lips twitched into a small smile. "Well, ignoring the many things that were obviously wrong with that sentence I'd say it's time for me to head out."_

_After a moments hesitation he decided to ask the question that had been bouncing around the back of his chaotic mind. "You don't have to go, you know. Do you have any plans for this evening?"_

_"Why, need me to help you break into a bank?" She cracked. "And yes, actually. I have a date."_

_He froze. "A-A date?"_

_"Yeah." Helena smiled. "With this guy from work. He's been hitting on me for like a month and since I'm not exactly seeing anyone I figured I'd give him a chance. I mean, one date's not going to really hurt anyone, is it?"_

_He resisted the urge to inform her that yes, it would hurt someone. "I suppose not. Does he have a name?"_

_"No, his parents were going to give him one but then they decided it would be to much work."_

_He felt slight embarrassment flow through him. "You know what I meant."_

_"His name is Roger, Roger Monroe."_

_"Never heard of him." Vic shrugged. "What's he like?"_

_"Tall, nice bod, brown hair, pretty hot." Helena began. "Not Luthor rich, but still pretty wealthy."_

_"Oh." He slowly digested the information he had been given. "Anything else?"_

_"Well, his hands are pretty big so you know what that means." She winked mischievously. "And from what I hear he's not just a genius with stock." She watched as he suddenly shifted awkwardly. "But that may have been a little to much information."_

_"Just a little bit." He attempted to sound humorous but was fairly certain he hadn't succeeded. "When do you have to go?"_

_She glanced at a clock on an unbroken wall. "Right now, actually. So if you don't have anything else you need me to help you with..."_

_"Don't." He muttered. "I'll talk to you later, have fun on your date." 'But not to much fun'. He thought unhappily._

_'On the other hand', He mused. 'It's only one date. It's not like they're going to get married or anything, right?'_

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><p>"-That for once when I ask him to try to get home instead of working all those night shifts he'd make a point to try to get home earlier? I mean seriously, I have needs. I get that he's trying to earn more money to put the kids through college someday but it just gets so annoying sometimes, you know?"<p>

Helena took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not asking for the moon, but you'd think that if I could manage to patrol an entire city and spend a good seven hours or so kicking ass and_still _manage to get home and have enough energy to get it on that he could do the same, right?"

"Um...yes?" Vic guessed.

"I know he's doing it for us but...Do you think I'm being to hard on him?" She finally asked.

"I honestly have no idea." Vic shrugged.

Helena shot him a tired glare. "Remind me to vent to Dinah about my husband instead of you, you're about as much help as Ollie is." She sighed. "But enough of my ranting, let's talk about you."

He fought back a groan. "_Helena_..."

"Don't use that tone with me," She scolded. "I'm only trying to help you." Her voice softened. "I've been worried about you lately."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You don't really seem to care about anything anymore, or anyone. All you ever do is mope around the Watch Tower or your apartment all by yourself, it worries me."

He felt a pleasant warmth flood through him. Helena cared for him; it might not have been the way he would have liked it to be, but the concept was still present. "Well it shouldn't, I'm not acting any different than I have for the past few years."

"But it's different now." She argued. "You're not thirty anymore, I just wish you'd at least get a girlfriend or even a boyfriend or something."

"So you want me to get a girlfriend to make you happy?" Vic smirked.

Helena whacked him on the arm, making him yelp. "That's not what I said! Why do you have to go and twist everything like that?" She scowled at him. "But since you're _obviously _not going to take my advice, could you at least make yourself useful and pass the sunscreen so I don't roast?"

He rummaged around the small bag before handing it to her. "Now, how is it during the day it's ninety degrees but at night it's twenty?"

"That's the beauty of winter turning into spring, babe." Helena smiled and gestured to the rest of the beach. "We get to use all the blankets we want at night and have killer tans during the day."

"I suppose." He conceded, handing her the small bottle.

"Thanks. Christ, it's hot out here." She sat up on the beach towel and leaned forward to grab a bottle of water out of the cooler, giving Vic a particularly nice view of her backside. And with the tiny blue bikini she was in, little was left to the imagination.

His eyes traveled shamelessly down her spine and past her hips, latching onto her bum. The image of him ripping off the bottom of her small suit and taking her from behind in a fit of passion suddenly entered his mind and he began to feel a particular heat that had nothing to do with the sun.

He quickly looked away in embarrassment, ashamed at himself. Did he really have that little control when it came to even the mere thought of sex with Helen?

He decided not to think about it.

She turned to him and wiggled the bottle in her hand. "You want one?"

"Um, no thanks." He coughed, studying the sand with far to much interest. As much as he wouldn't mind giving those damn seagulls something to squawk about this was hardly the time or place for such tempting thoughts.

"If you say so." She sighed, laying down on the beach towel and stretching herself out. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

She handed him the bottle of lotion. "Lather me up."

"Uh...What?"

"Put it on me, dummy. You know, rub it on me so I don't turn into a tomato."

He stared at her body, then back at her face. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why?" She snorted. "Is there some conspiracy behind it?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"But nothing." She frowned. "Please, Vic." She pouted her lips. "Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

"Fine." He grumbled, snapping open the lid as the scent of coconut filled the air. "But only since you said please."

"My, my, such a gentleman." She teased, brushing the hair off her back and over her shoulders. "Rub it in good, 'kay?"

"Got it." He murmured, squirting the warm liquid on her bare back. He felt her shiver, "Woo that's cold, warm me up quick, alright?"

He tried not to think about the request for to long. "Uh-huh." He gently began to work it onto her back and over her shoulders, feeling her smooth skin under his calloused hands. Vic took in her warmth, trying not to wonder if she was that warm _everywhere_. "Like that?"

"Mm-hm." She murmured closing her eyes. "You have really nice hands."

"Th-Thank you." He choked out, wanting to rub the lotion all over the forbidden parts of her gorgeous body.

"You're welcome. Mm, that feels nice." She purred, rubbing against him. "Really, really nice."

He shifted uncomfortably in an attempt to banish all X to XXX thoughts from his head as she began to moan slightly. Vic debated asking her to stop, but decided it would raise to many questions.

She continued to moan and occasionally whimper beneath him as his swim trunks suddenly began to feel tight. _Oh why, oh why_ did she have to make those glorious noises and torment him? _Oh why oh why_ couldn't he show her just how loud he could make her get?

"I think you're done." He panted, retreating to the far end of the towel they were sharing.

She sat up and stretched her arms out. "Mm, thanks. Jeez Q, were you ever a massage therapist or something, you're really good with your hands."

"Uh, no. Not to my knowledge." He squirmed.

Helena opened her mouth to continue when a voice interrupted her. "Mom! Christopher knocked down my sandcastle _again_!"

Helena rolled her eyes. "Chris, leave your sister alone!" Her gaze turned towards her other son. "Charlie, could you try to get along with your brother just for one day? Please?"

The eight year old frowned. "But he's so _annoying_!"

"Well, you can be to sometimes." Helena opined with a smile.

"Mom!" Whined Charlie, "Can't you just take my side once?"

"_Once_ I did, but you were to young to remember it." Helen teased.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Whatever, can you just get me a water?"

"Fine." Helena shrugged as she bent down and handed him one. "Now scram."

"Yes ma'am." He grinned as he ran off.

Helena turned back to Vic. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go."

"Agreed." Question yawned as he stood up, offering Helena his hand. "I have something I would like to show you back at my apartment, if you're not to busy."

"Sounds fine." Helena nodded. "Let's go."

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><p>"Where is it again?" Helena called.<p>

Vic reappeared from his living room. "In the closet in my bedroom. I'll get it."

Helena curiously followed him, intrigued at what his most private room would look like. Four plain walls, no windows, a messy bed, and clothes flung carelessly on the floor greeted her. "This place is such a bachelor pad."

"What did you expect?" Vic asked as he rummaged through his closet. "Pink bedspreads and matching curtains?"

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up! I just meant that it wouldn't kill you to redecorate or something. I mean look at how small your bed is! What is that, a twin?"

"It's comfortable." Vic shrugged.

"Well, yeah, but what if you bring some lady home? There's no way you could have wild sex in that thing, unless of course you wanted to be that constricted..."

"Won't."

"Won't what?"

"Won't bring a woman home." He explained. "I don't want one."

"Not _one_?" Helena asked doubtfully. "Come on, are you seriously telling me you don't want to have sex?"

"I _do _want to have sex, but not with any woman."

"_Oh_..." Helena murmured as she began to catch on. "I never knew you swung that way, but I mean-"

"No!" He exclaimed quickly. "I mean that, it's just, well, there's this one woman..." He began.

"Is she pretty?" Helena interrupted.

"Beautiful." Vic continued. "There's this one beautiful woman who I care about, a lot. She's the one I want to share my bed with, not some whore I meet at a bar."

"Well then why don't you ask her out?" She exclaimed.

"She's-She's married." Vic admitted quietly. "And she doesn't like me that way, no matter how much I love her."

"So, what, if you can't have her you don't want anyone?"

"Well, I do but...it's not the same." He finished quietly. "I do have sex, Helena. But what's the point if you spend the entire time fantasizing you're with someone else; it's not fair to your partner. I'd rather just be by myself."

"Oh, Vic." Helena murmured. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard." She walked over to him and hugged her old friend tightly. "Any woman would be lucky to have you, you know that?"

"Even you?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"Yeah." She smiled at him. "Especially me." She took a step away from him and let him go, watching him stare at the floor in embarrassment before quickly exiting the room, beckoning for her to follow him.

_That stupid woman. _Helena thought angrily as she followed him, mad that someone was making Vic feel this way. _She has no idea what she's missing out on._

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><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	4. Horrible Service

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**A/N JLU never really said the name of the douche who tortured Question, but I'm pretty sure he was on BTAS and his name was Moon. Sorry if I'm wrong:(**

**Thanks for reviewing:)**

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><p><em>"Tell me what you know."<em>

_Question took a ragged breath before staring at his tormentor. "The government created AIDS in an attempt to control the populations of African Americans and homosexuals in Los Angeles."_

_His tormentor, Moon, scowled at him. "This is hurting you far more than it will ever hurt me, Mr. Question. I suggest that you cooperate. You only have to tell us what you know for all of this to end. After all, don't you ever want this to stop?"_

_Vic gritted his teeth, of course he wanted this to stop! Volt after volt of electricity shooting through his battered body wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. "K-Kennedy wasn't killed by one man, there was another-AUGH!"_

_Electricity pulsed through him; he saw stars and darkness as his mind begged for blissful oblivion. He would not give in, however, the fate of the world was at stake._

_Deep down Vic knew this was a fight he simply could not win; perhaps if he hadn't gotten pounded by Luther, but not in this state. There was no escaping this man-made hell. You could scream, but no one would care. Even if by some miracle he made it out of this torture chamber guards would shoot him down before he was halfway down the hallway._

_"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're only hurting yourself, you know." Sighed the 'doctor'._

_A light beep went off on the man's cell phone before he answered it cautiously. "Yes. Are you sure?" He glanced at Question. "Almost, the clinically insane are often harder to break than the sane. Hm, I doubt they'll make it far. Understood." _

_He hung it up and shot Vic a chilling smile. "Well, it seems Superman and that lovely young tramp in purple who seems to tolerate you have entered our little home."_

_Panic flooded through Vic; why the hell was Helena here? God damn it she was going to get herself killed! And Superman too? How...interesting. All of this for little old him? How flattering, ignore the only one who can help you when he tries to warn you but the second he tries to kill a president... _

_"Aw, confused, are you? One can hardly blame you; you don't quite seem like the social type." Moon sneered, reaching for the button that caused Vic so much pain. He could practically feel another round of fresh burns forming. Biting back a whimper, he closed his eyes and braced himself..._

_...Only to hear the loud thud of the door being broken down and the small gasp of surprise from Moons' lips as he aimed the gun._

_"Don't be stupid." The Man of Steel all but hissed._

_Moon contemplated this for a moment before dropping the gun and reluctantly lifting his hands in the air. _

_Vic felt Superman break the bonds holding him to the steel table as he fell onto the Kryptonian, completely limp and utterly exhausted. He made no move to try to stand up by himself; he knew it would have been fruitless._

_"Sorry." Growled a new voice, a voice he recognized oh so well. "Not good enough!" With that statement hanging in mid-air, Helen punched him in the face and sent the man flying backwards onto a spare table._

_"Huntress!" Shouted Superman as the woman in purple charged at Moon, drawing her bow with murder written all over her face as she stared him down._

_"Yeah..." Came her reluctant agreement as she withdrew her crossbow back into her belt. "Okay." Vic heard the low click of her heals as she walked towards him, wrapping an arm around his neck. "Lean on me, we're getting out of here."_

_He opened his mouth in an attempt to thank her, but judging by her concerned expression that wasn't quite what came out. "C'mon baby doll," She soothed, lifting up his chin to look him in the eyes. "it'll be alright."_

_He looked deep into her brown eyes. Oh how he loved her eyes; their depth, their beautiful brown color, that little mischievous sparkle when she was excited..._

_He was brought out of his trance by watching Superman punch Captain Atom and send the pants-less bomb-in-a-suit 'man' flying into a wall._

_"What made you think I was gonna?" He heard Helen ask sarcastically as they began a long walk towards the exits of Hell's gates. _

_She gently leaned him against the crates, keeping one hand on his chest. He stared at her and felt a surge of protective anger; what the hell was she doing here, risking her life like this! How could she be so foolish and cocky? "You shouldn't have come for me."_

_A flash of anger dotted her eyes and he knew he was going to regret that. "You shouldn't have snuck away without me!" Her eyes softened, "Just be alright, okay? For me?"_

_He looked at her standing in Hell on Earth, concern etched on her face after saving his life. "Okay. For you."_

_She smiled faintly before attacking the guards with the fury of a panther protecting her cub._

_Q watched her from beneath his mask and smiled. 'That's my girl.'_

* * *

><p>Vic groaned as he felt Helena kiss his neck, her lips traveling over his jaw and onto his own as he pulled her closer to him.<p>

Thank God he'd convinced her to do this with him. Thank God she hadn't punched him in the jaw when he told her how he felt and revealed the desire he had to make love to her sweeter and more meaningful than anyone ever had before.

"A-Are you sure you want this?" He panted.

"Oh, God _yes_!" She groaned between fierce kisses. She torturously teased her fingers down his bare chest, past his toned stomach, and down, down, down, then up again, and then down once more. "And I can tell you want this too."

He fixed a predatory stare at her gloriously naked body next to his, rolling on top of her. "Damn straight."

She giggled and pulled him closer as he kissed her bare neck and shoulders. "How did we manage to control ourselves for almost fifteen years?"

"Simple." He murmured, resting his hands on her thighs. "You got married and had three children to keep you occupied, and I had my Conspiracy work."

"Didn't you ever get lonely?" She asked in concern, brushing a stray strand of hair away from his face.

"...Sometimes." He admitted. "But I always knew you'd someday be mine if I waited."

"Smart man." Smiling, she wrapped a bare leg around his waist as he affectionately nuzzled her breasts. "So let me get this straight; you were hot for me for fifteen years and manage to keep it in your pants for all this time?"

"Yes."

She grinned mischievously, "Shit. This is going to be really, really good, isn't it?"

He looked over her exposed body, taking in every glorious detail. "You have no idea."

She moved to take control of the situation before they started, but Vic stopped her. "Don't. Let me do all the work."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Yes. Just lie there and let me please you. Do-Do you mind if I get a little rough?"

Her smiled widened. "Mind it? Do you know how hot that would be?"

Vic couldn't help but smile right back, kissing her cheek and positioning himself above her. "Good. You know I love you, right?"

"I know, Vic." She murmured. "And I love you, too."

Joy flooded through him. "You-You have no idea how long I've wanted you to say those words..." He murmured. "This-This is going to be fantastic. Let me just..."

He gripped her hips, prepared to enter her slowly before beginning to thrust wildly. Oh, he could not wait another second for this! He needed her; her wetness, her tightness, her warmth, all of it. All of _her_. He pressed against her entrance fully prepared to fulfill his needs...

Only to have his alarm clock begin to beep and awake him from his fantasy.

Light embarrassment flooded through him as he sat up, surveying his tangled sheets. He supposed more guilt should have been present, but in the past few years he'd dreamt about her so much it was hard to still feel that pesky emotion.

The first time he'd had such lustful dreams, he'd been horrified and felt beyond guilty. What type of man fantasized about a soon-to-be married woman who was a close friend of his?

But now those thoughts were gone and increasingly erotic, kinky, and occasionally downright twisted fantasies haunted him at night.

Hey, it wasn't like he really had too much of a sex life to begin with, so why not make the most of his fantasies with the beautiful Helena Bertinelli?

After all, it was a hell of a lot better than the reality of what he and Helena actually shared.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Helena admitted as the couple entered the classy restaurant and asked for their reserved table.<p>

"And I can't believe my own wife has so little faith in me." Roger smiled. "You said you wanted more romance and attention, and what did I tell you?"

"I know, I know." She looked down at the table in mock shame. "Thanks, babe. This is very thoughtful and very, very sweet."

"Hey, you know I'd do anything for you." Roger reminded her, putting his hand over hers. "You're my lady, baby."

"Hm, dinner at a nice restaurant, sweet-talk, all you need to do is order me some really great dessert and I'd say a certain someone is getting some tonight." She winked.

"It's Ollie, isn't it?" Roger sighed. "Lucky bastard, 'specially with that sexy wife of his..."

"Shut up!" Helena laughed, smacking his arm playfully.

"Ouch!"

"You had it coming." She reminded him with a smile.

He rubbed his sore shoulder and fake-pouted. "Kiss it and make it better for me?"

"Later." She promised. "For now let's just order something. After all, the sooner we eat, the sooner we get out of here."

"Hallelujah." Roger smiled, making her head feel light. She had to admit, her husband was one sexy bastard. Toned body, tanned skin, a full head of black hair with chocolate eyes to match made him a definite ten.

Not to mention the pure Italian blood flowing through his veins.

The waiter walked up to their table and smiled pleasantly at the couple. "And what shall you two be having this fine evening?"

"Why this lovely lady covered in whipped cream, of course." Roger casually gestured to Helena as she attempted to keep a straight face, covering her face with her hands half in shame and half in delight.

The waiter took a long look at Helena. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Roger assured him.

The waiter looked at Helena's chest, face, legs, than back at her chest. "Hm, can I have some of that, too?"

"Okay, that's enough!" Helen finally snapped at the waiter. _What a pervert._ "I'll have the tortellini."

"I'll have the same." Roger frowned, handing back the menu. He turned towards Helena, "I vote we don't give him a tip, what a pervert."

"Agreed, although it seems a tad hypocritical." Helena teased.

He opened his mouth to respond when his phone suddenly went off. Swearing under his breath, he answered it as pleasantly as he could manage. "Hello? Yeah, it's me." He glanced at Helena. "Now? No, come on I'm having dinner with...I know what I said. Yeah, I _do_ promise to do that. Can't you just...? Ugh, fine." Cursing slightly, he stood up.

Helena frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go back to work."

She pinched her nose. "Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me."

"I wish I was."

"Tell them you're busy." She demanded.

"I did. Look, 'Lena, my job's at stake here, okay? If I do good I'll get a promotion and you'll never have to work again."

"I already don't _have _to work." She scowled. "You don't seriously think I teach for the fabulous pay, do you?"

"You know what I mean." His tone softened as he took her hands in his. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She looked at him hesitantly. "...You swear?"

"Swear to God."

"Don't swear to God, it's a sin." She corrected half-heartily. "Fine, go. But, please, try to come home soon."

"Done, and I'll be thinking of you the whole time." He promised, bending down and kissing her cheek. "You're the best."

"Damn straight."

"I love you." He called, exiting quickly and waving.

"Yeah, love you, too." She murmured under her breath, staring at the candle on top of the table she was sitting at.

The waiter once again shuffled towards her. "Excuse me ma'am, but if you would like I would be more than happy to take you home and-"

"Beat it!" She snarled, waving him away.

But deep down, a feeling of sadness remained. She knew it was stupid, but it was still there. At least he'd been trying to make an effort.

Still, it didn't make up for the fact that she would be going to bed alone tonight.

Again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Those Conspiracy's Question was saying were real theories; look 'em up if you don't believe me.**

**A/N Review please! **


	5. Dirty Dreams

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you reviewers:D**

* * *

><p><em>Helena gently placed a hand on Vic's chest, trying to avoid as many burns as possible. "Are you alright?"<em>

_"No." He muttered bitterly._

_"Oh, yeah." She turned her head away in shame. "Stupid question, huh?"_

_"There are no stupid questions." He coughed._

_She peered at him in concern, reaching for an oxygen mask to ease his breathing._

_"Wait!" He panted. "Get _this_," He gestured to his mask. "Off my face."_

_She looked at him curiously but attempted to do as she was told, trying to pry the mask off by digging her nails under it._

_"Aerosol." He breathed, taking her hand and holding it. "In my coat pocket." _

_Keeping his hand in hers, she bent over him and slipped a hand into his coat pocket. He watched her feel around for a moment before latching onto the small metal can and lifting it up, carefully aiming and spraying at his mask._

_He felt her fingers dive underneath his mask once more, wondering what she'd think of him. He knew he looked like hell and this wasn't the best time to show her his identity, but he felt obligated too. After rescuing him from hell the least he could do was show her what he really looked like._

_Was he afraid she'd reject him and refuse to spend any more time with him; yes. But he'd let fear stop him once and he wasn't ever going to do that again._

_As the last of the mask was peeled away, he closed his eyes in shame. How could he ever expect someone like her to like someone like him? It made no sense. She was wealthy; he could barely pay his bills. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen; he was...disgusting. She was just so...Helen, and he was just so...him._

_He felt like an idiot for ever believing he may have had a chance._

_Then he felt her gently place a hand on his face, slowly running it up and down. He opened his eyes expecting repulsion and disgust but instead found tenderness, happiness, and...love?_

_At that exact moment Charles Victor Szasz fell harder than he'd ever fallen before for anyone in his entire life. _

_"You were right...I am the ugliest guy of all time."_

_She smiled softly. "Eye of the beholder, Q. Eye of the beholder."_

_He felt himself grin like an idiot as she stood up to close the window light and hide them from the world. Maybe he hadn't been a fool; maybe this could work. _

_She wandered back to him and sat on the small bed, swinging her legs lightly as an awkward silence fell upon them. _

_"Why?" _

_Helena looked down at him oddly. "Why what?"_

_"Why did you rescue me?"_

_She smiled and squeezed his hand in hers. "I'm from the Mafia, remember? We're pretty big into returning favors, and after what you did for me..."_

_"Ah." Damn. He'd secretly hoped she would admit she cared for him the way he cared for her. _

_"Are you okay?" Her chocolate eyes widened with concern. "That shit they were doing to you looked like it really hurt."_

_"It did." He admitted. _

_"I can tell." She murmured, running her hands over his chest and tracing the burns. "They're all over you, want me to rub some lotion on them?"_

_"Uh..."_

_She grinned and crossed her arms. "That wasn't a request. Hate to break it to you but I'm notorious for being a mother hen when a friend of mine gets hurt. My mothering instincts are almost as bad as my protective ones."_

_"It's fine." He sighed as she picked up a small tube of lotion to ease burns and turned back to him._

_She looked at him in the eyes and started to giggle before covering her mouth with her hands in a feeble attempt to hide her delight. "What's so funny?" He inquired._

_"N-Nothing it's just...I never pictured you as a redhead."_

_"Ah. So you find it amusing?"_

_"Yep." She smirked. "I like you better without the mask, Q." Her fingers lightly touched his hair. "You have gorgeous eyes, you know, and you're actually pretty cute."_

_He felt a splash of color appear on his neck, ears, and face, much to his horror. "Aw, and you blush. Guess all that talk about you being scarier than Satan is propaganda."_

_"Only half of it." He grinned. _

_She looked down at him and smiled, tightening her grip on his hand. He stared at her in silence. "Your eyes are beautiful." The words were out before he could stop himself._

_"Flatterer." She turned away quickly, but not before he caught a hint of red on her cheekbones. He sat up as far as he could, lifting up his aching arm to place a hand on her cheek. "Thank you."_

_"N-No problem." She muttered, noticing how close their faces were. She looked at his eyes once again and felt her stomach tighten a bit as he inched his face even closer, stroking her cheek. _

_"I don't know how to repay you." He continued. She moved closer as well, her eyes flickering towards his lips, then back towards his eyes. _

_Her lips hovered millimeters from his own as pure desire latched onto them. She cradled his face in her hands as his own gently slid on her thighs. She saw him purse his lips and did the same..._

_...Only to have Superman walk in on them both, blinking in surprise before turning to Question. "A word, please. It'll only take a minute."_

_They quickly spread apart as Helena cast a look at the intruder. "Five minutes." She turned back to Q. "I have to go, Roger and I are going out tonight. I'll beam back up here tomorrow, I promise." _

_"You don't have to."_

_"I want to." She quickly kissed his cheek before gliding out of the room and waving. "Be safe."_

_He felt the area her lips connected to his skin burn in pleasure and longing as he watched her go._

_He couldn't wait for tomorrow._

* * *

><p>Helena tossed in her bed restlessly, flinging an arm over to the other side.<p>

"Ouch!" And apparently making contact with something or rather someone when she did. "Christ, Helen, are you trying to kill me?"

"Is it working?" She yawned, sitting up.

"Have I ever told you what a pleasure you are in the morning?"

"No."

"Good." Her husband grinned. "I would have had to take it back."

She rolled her eyes. "You finally come home and what do you do? Spend all morning picking on poor little me."

"Poor little you?" He laughed. "Coming from the woman who can kill a man 277 ways with her bare hands, piss off Batman and not be afraid of his wrath, is a gymnast, a weapons master_, and_ a Mafia princess? Poor little you, hah."

"My, my, such a flatterer." She smiled. "Keep it up and it might get you somewhere."

He grinned mischievously and rolled on top of her. "Somewhere as in between your legs?"

"Possibly." She batted her eyelashes innocently. "But what do you plan on putting in there?"

"I'll show you." He murmured, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him back happily, after months of limited love she was going to remind him why he loved her so much.

She felt him gently place his hands on her legs, traveling up to her thighs and resting there as electricity shot through her skin. "You seem so eager, Love. Kind of reminds me of when we first started dating..."

"Mm, _right _after the first date." She agreed through growingly wild kisses. "The way we started to-mph-kiss in the car, humping each other like teenagers..."

"And starting right there through our clothes, hell even our masks." He added. "You kept trying to yank it off, remember? Until you decided it made everything hotter, that is. Then I said we weren't teenagers and a car wasn't good for what we were trying to do..."

"And I told you to shut up and you took your fingers and started to-Oh!-yeah, yeah, do that, just like you did in your old car." She panted through closed eyes. "Mm, then we went back to the hotel and were already undressing each other while the receptionist gave us our key-"

"That poor woman." He muttered, stroking her with growing speed and pressure.

"She-Ah-liked it." Helen opined. "Then we got into our room and you shoved me against the wall and..." The couple stopped to stare at each other, remembering what came next. "That was the best part."

"Which one?" He murmured, staring at her with that heated expression she loved so much. "We made love several times that night."

"I remember." She reminded him. "I had no idea you were such an animal, I mean you seemed so shy and sweet. Well, you are sweet and shy. But that night..."

"Was absolutely phenomenal." He whispered, giving her goose bumps as her nightgown hit the floor. "Just like you, in and out of bed."

She pulled him closer as he nibbled her neck, kissing his shoulders and loving the feel of him on her body. "You too, baby, you too."

He bent down and whispered into her ear, "Let's see how incredible we can be together, shall we?"

She smiled coyly, wrapping her leg around his waist in anticipation of what was going to happen. "Let's."

A few hours later their bed was a wreck and half of their sheets were on the floor. "That was amazing." Her husband murmured, kissing her hair and rubbing her back as she laid on his chest, sprawled out and panting.

"You said it." She murmured in agreement, kissing his jaw line. "You taste salty."

"So do you." He laughed. "We were making each other work up a serious sweat."

"Yeah." Helena sighed lazily. "I love you."

"I love you too, Helen." He smiled, cradling her in his arms.

"I know." She whispered, running a hand through his hair. "I like it when you tell me that."

"I'll say it as much as you want to hear it." He promised. "Just to make you happy."

She blushed slightly and rubbed against him. "Someone wants to go again."

"I do." He laughed. "But I'd rather hold you first. I like making you sweat, but it's nice watching you cool down."

She grinned. "Dork. You're lucky you're cute and that I have a thing for blue eyes."

"So true." He conceded. "But I love brown ones."

Smiling softly, she leaned her forehead against her husbands and looked deep into Vic's eyes. "You, sir, are just asking to get pounded into the mattress again."

"Simply begging." Vic grinned, holding her close as she positioned herself on top of him again, already dripping in anticipation.

"You and me both."

Helena woke up with a gasp and flew up, yanking the covers up to her chest.

_What the hell? _

* * *

><p>Vic's fingers flew across the keypad as he typed away.<p>

This information was infinitely precious and he knew it. It contained detailed info about the billions of other worlds throughout the billions of other universes. Information that could be use to better his own Earth.

Batman had been to busy with the Joker to look at it himself, and despite their reluctance the League handed it over for him to look through to see how they were on other worlds.

Question had an instinctive distrust of other worlds.

But despite that he'd decided to go ahead and skim through it in search of time-loops and warnings for his own Earth. After all, he always said better safe than sorry.

He was aware the universe was a multi-verse, but he had still been amazed by just how many Earths there were. Billions and billions of existed; one could spend a lifetime studying them and merely scratch the surface of the unbelievable amount.

There was an Earth where Hitler won WWII and the human population had eventually been destroyed, an Earth where the first fish had never made it onto land so the human species had never existed, and another where the human's had gone extinct and the dinosaurs roamed.

And when he was checking up on these Earths, he couldn't help but see where him and Helena were and what they were doing.

There was an Earth where she was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, an Earth where Renee Montoya was the Question instead of him, an Earth where he had a twin brother, and dozens more.

Then, to his delight, there were worlds where he and Helena were together.

In one she was only seventeen and her parents were alive, he was her bodyguard and they were in sweet, forbidden love.

In another he had left her with a love child six years ago and they were attempting to try again for a relationship. There was one where their son had impregnated the daughter of Ollie and Dinah, and in the universe of the Lords they were on separate sides, trying to love but finding it hard with their beliefs.

The strangest one was where their genders were switched; he was Victoria and she was Hernando.

He had a soft spot for the Earths where they were in love, even in that one.

Deciding it was time to go to sleep since he could see the sunrise peeking in through his curtains, he was about to shut his computer down when a particular world caught his attention.

It was identical to his right up until the night he had helped Helena capture Mandragora, letting them get to know each other and making them life-long friends.

_Interesting._

* * *

><p><strong>AN I might have to make this story M. Would anyone mind if I did?**

**A/N So Helena had a dirty dream about Vic and Q stumbled onto another Earth, huh. Read and review.**


	6. What Could've Been

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you reviewers:D**

* * *

><p><em>"So did you ever catch him?" <em>

_"Yep." Helena laughed. "And I busted his balls when I did."_

_"In hindsight attempting to pickpocket your crossbow while you were tying up his friend wasn't the brightest idea." Vic commented with a small grin._

_Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know, right? But anyways let's get back to work, we shouldn't be laughing when there's a serial killer with a fetish for knives running about." _

_"True." He agreed, fingers flying over his laptop. "On a different note, wasn't there a new move you learned you wanted to teach me?"_

_"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed, standing up and gesturing for him to do the same. She grabbed his wrists and locked eyes with him. "Now first we do this," She pulled him close, placing his hands on her waist. "Then I do this..." She turned around and pressed her body close to his. "And then we-"_

_The kitchen door opening interrupted her, revealing an attractive dark-haired man in a business suit. "Hey, 'Lena, I was just-" He stopped short, taking in the scene. "What's going on here?"_

_"Hey baby." Helena purred, releasing Vic and walking towards her boyfriend. _

_"Who's this?" Roger frowned, looking at Vic suspiciously. _

_Q took a step forward, sticking out his hand. "Vic Sage."_

_"Oh yeah, you're on the news, right?"_

_"Yes." _

_"Ah, well then Mr. Reporter since you're so good with telling it how it is would you mind telling me why you've got your arms all around my girlfriend?"_

_Helena's' mouth formed an 'O'. "Roger!"_

_"What? I come over here and find some guy with his arms around you and you expect me to be cool with that?"_

_"I expect you to give me a second to explain!" She snapped. "I was just showing Vic a new move I learned."_

_"Uh-huh, the same way you were showing me one last night?"_

_Vic felt jealousy and contempt flood through him. "No, and if you'd give her a chance I think she'd tell you that."_

_"All we were doing was talking." Helena continued. "Roger I'd like you to meet Vic. Vic, this is my boyfriend, Roger."_

_"Hello." He murmured coolly, shaking the other mans' hand. _

_"Hi." Roger's face softened. "Sorry, it's just the thought of someone else touching Helena..."_

_"I know how you feel." Vic admitted._

_"Well if you're done talking about me like I'm not here I think we should get acquainted." Helena interrupted. "Vic's a good friend of mine."_

_"Ah, well, it's always nice to meet a friend of Helena's." He smiled, sitting down and popping open a beer._

_"Don't drink that." Vic advised. "The company that makes it uses a chemical to make it more addictive so you can't stop spending your money on it." _

_"Uh..." Roger shot Helena a questioning look._

_"He likes conspiracies." She shrugged. "Um, Vic, Roger and I are going to get going so..."_

_"Yeah, I'll leave." Vic sighed. "I'll see you later, Helen." _

_"Bye." She sighed, giving him a kiss on each cheek. "I'll see you soon, got it?"_

_"Yes ma'am. Uh, it was nice meeting you Roger."_

_"Nice meeting you, too." Roger called after him as he exited the small apartment._

_But as he left Helenas' house he couldn't help thinking what an outrageous lie that was._

* * *

><p>Helena closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees, breathing in and out cautiously.<p>

_What. The. Fuck. _Trying desperately to ignore her frantic mind and racing heart she slowly took a deep breath, holding it in before releasing it as she tried to grasp the situation.

Running a hand through her hair, she took in the ruffled sheets falling off the bed, pillows on the floor, and light sheen of sweat coating her body.

That had been one hell of a dream.

That bothered her. It was one thing to have a sexy dream about someone you were close to, but it was something entirely different to enjoy it so much as she apparently did.

It was also...strange, thinking of Vic like that. Half the time she forgot he was a guy, and after years of knowing each other she'd never considered him as more than a friend.

Ever.

So why was she having wet dreams about the man?

Sure, Vic was kind of cute in an Irish-sort of way. She'd known the guy basically forever and had seen him shirtless on more than one occasion, so she knew he had a nice body, but still...

Vic was one of her best friends, plain and simple. Over the years they'd grown closer and closer, her kids called him Uncle Vic for Christ's sake! Why, why, why did she dream that?

Dreams were supposed to be mirrors to the subconscious, revealing to you in your sleep what you'd never dare to wish for while you were awake.

Did that mean she wanted to sleep with Vic?

Helena wasn't a saint, no use saying otherwise. She was, however, raised by the Mafia who were dedicated Catholics; therefore she took her beliefs seriously. Marriage was a huge commitment, one she'd been willing to make, and along with that commitment came rules.

That's partially why this was bothering her so much. Helena Rosa Bertinelli-Munroe was many things, but she certainly wasn't a cheater. Aside from the fact it violated her Roman Catholic religion and marriage to her husband, it just wasn't who she was.

Did she love men and what they were good at? Yes. But the best way to enjoy that was one at a time, and then you could move on to the next one and start over. Once she'd married Roger she'd made a promise to be his forever, a promise she intended to keep.

No, no, no, she'd never sleep with another man besides her husband and she didn't want to. She loved Roger, even if he could be a little neglectful at times.

Sure she loved Vic, but not like_ that. _She loved Vic like a brother or like the dear friend he was to her. Q was stubborn, paranoid, a badass fighter, and lived in a place nicknamed Hell for a reason. But he was also loyal, a good listener, and the sweetest man she'd ever met. So did she love Vic? Yes, but not like _that_.

She certainly didn't want to sleep with him.

Helen let the erotic images slowly re-enter her mind, reliving the vivid dream that had done so much damage to her battered sheets.

She could feel every inch of Vic against her and she craved even more. Kisses being shared hotter than the sun, body shocked with electricity ever time they touched. Hands, _amazing _hands, touching her where she craved it. Warm breath against her neck, whispering into her ear.

Glorious sounds of hunger, unquenchable passion as they explored each other's bodies. Pure pleasure as she entered her, wild positions, so good, so good, so damn-

Bad! Those were very, very bad with a capital B.

She groaned and dropped her face into her hands. What the hell was happening? Everything was so confusing right now, all she wanted was to do was erase this damn dream from her head and fall back asleep.

_Yeah, like that's possible._ She thought bitterly as she climbed out of her large bed, thinking of how small Vics' was.

This was all so _wrong_. So horribly, terribly wrong! She was ashamed, confused, embarrassed, and still a little horny. She needed to run away, she needed to talk to somebody, she needed too-

She needed to call Dinah.

* * *

><p>Q stared at the screen in front of him; did he really want to know what could have been?<p>

He contemplated it for a moment; what if the result was the same Earth that they lived on now? That would be the ultimate smack in the face; no matter what reality they were in it was impossible for Helena to love him back. Impossible for them to ever be more than friends.

On the other hand, what if they were together? It would still hurt knowing that a few words or gestures could have changed everything for them, but it would also give him hope. Hope that one day she'd realize he was the one she was supposed to love.

Either way he had to come to a decision soon. Should he give in to his temptation and with a simple click of the mouse see what could have been, or should he simply live without ever knowing.

Ignorance was supposedly bliss, a concept Vic had believed to be started by the Illuminate to prevent people from wanting to know the truth. With that theory in mind, did he really want to do what the Illuminate wanted him to do?

Never.

He clicked the mouse.

_"-That kid was going to be on that crater."_

_The other him tipped his hat to her. "I do my homework."_

_"Then why go through all the trouble to help? Why risk your life for me?_

Vic held his breath; this was it, the moment of truth. Could he have ever told Helena the way he felt?

_"Because I...like you." _

Apparently he could. He watched surprise latch onto Helenas' face; this was almost too painful to watch. He prepared for her to slap his counterpart across the face. Well, across his mask.

_Her brown eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him, the small curl of a smile beginning to form on her face. He turned away from her in shame, no doubt preparing for the humiliation of rejection. _

_A light tug of his tie brought him back to Earth as a pair of warm lips covered his own, kissing him passionately and just the slightest bit awkwardly._

Vic stared at the image of the other him and Helena kissing each other in disbelief. She-She had liked him back? She-She had kissed him by _choice _and _liked_ it!

_"Come on." She smiled, leading him by the tie._

_"Where are we going?"_

_"Don't ask so many questions."_

Question continued to stare at the small screen, stunned. After all these years of wondering what would have happened he finally knew; his feelings would have been returned. She would have given him a chance. They could have been something after all.

He gritted his teeth, anger beginning to boil in his chest. _Idiot! You could have had her, dumbass! She-She could have been yours..._

He shook his head in an attempt to clear away all thoughts of fury and guilt. Sure Helena could have been his, but she _wasn't_, no matter how much he wanted her to be.

_After a short walk back to his old car, Helena unlocked it with a grin and pushed him inside. "So, you really like me, huh?"_

_"Well, yes." He admitted awkwardly, fidgeting in his seat. "I apologize if I embarrassed you back there."_

_"Embarrassed?" She laughed. "Did you see the look on the blond bimbos' face, that was priceless!" _

_"True." He conceded shyly. "Um, thank you."_

_"For what?"_

_"You know, um..." He turned away in embarrassment, a splash of red on his neck. "Kissing me."_

_She smiled at him in amusement. "It was my pleasure."_

_He looked around the car uncomfortably. "So...Now what would you like for us to do? I-I mean we don't__ have __to do something together but if you'd like-"_

_"Q." She murmured, giving him another kiss. "Shut up."_

Vic continued to watch him and Helena talk in the car. The awkwardness of what was happening was still present, but he'd still give almost anything to be there right now.

_"O-Okay." Q breathed as she slid onto his lap, continuing to spoil him with grateful kisses. _

_"You know, it'd be a lot easier to kiss you if you took off that silly mask." She continued, nibbling his ears and loosening his tie._

_"C-Can't." He panted, beginning to feel aroused. "Don't want you to know who I am."_

_"Mm, mystery-man, eh? Sexy." She smirked, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt. "But it wouldn't kill you to, you know." She craned her head up, lips brushing against his ear and whispered, "Relax."_

_"P-Please don't do that." He begged unconvincingly as she pushed him down, straddling him as she kissed his neck. _

_"Why not?" She pouted playfully, pressing against him. "You're a good kisser for someone without lips." _

_"Thank you, but I really think you should get off of me now." He continued as she gently rubbed against him. "P-Please before, aw hell."_

_She looked at him curiously, about to ask him what the hell he was complaining about when she felt something poke her thigh. "What's that- Oh!" Helen quickly got off him, looking at him strangely._

Vic inwardly groaned, well he'd _had _her. For a grand total of twenty minutes Helena had really been his until his damn body had to go and betray him like that, showing her how much he wanted her.

He should have known he'd eventually screw things up.

_"I-I'm so sorry." He mumbled, scooting to the other side of the backseat of his classic car. He could feel mortification flood through him, his ears burning. _

_"It's okay." She murmured unconvincingly. "Hey Q...How long has it been since you've...you know. Done the dirty, so to speak."_

_"A while." He muttered unhappily. "Don't like to give myself up to temptation. Lust. Prefer to have a clear mind when it comes to things."_

_"Well, when was the last time you liked someone?"_

Vic already knew the answer, Myra. That was the last person he'd liked, hell he'd loved Myra. Well, up until she'd left him because the Hub was too much for her to take. He'd thought she'd been the one.

Then he'd met Helena.

Everything was just so different with her, so natural. She understood what it meant to protect a city with your life. What it meant to do what he did. She listened to him, smiled at him. She was beautiful and graceful and just so...Helena.

She wasn't like anyone else.

_"A few years ago there was someone." He admitted. "But she left."_

_"I'm sorry." Helena offered. "So, I'm the first girl you've liked in a while, huh?"_

_"Yes, I just...I really like you." He confessed awkwardly. "You're not like anyone else and well, you're very beautiful."_

_Smiling, she leaned towards him and kissed him. "You're one of a kind to, Q. And I think that deserves a reward." Helena climbed on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. "I really like you to, Q." She placed his hands around her waist, guiding him in his sea of uncertainty. _

_He pulled her closer to her delight, kissing her back happily. _

Q just...stared. He'd never predicted this as an outcome to telling Helena how he felt. He'd expected laughter thrown in his face, a kind let down, excuses, a slap across his face, but never...that.

Sure he'd wished for it, but deep down he knew she would never go for him; they were too different. But here they were, kissing with growing need and beginning to explore each other's bodies with their hands.

_The car was silent, moans and panting aside, as the two began to kiss with increasing desire._

_Helena ran her hands through his hair possessively, pressing against him as close as they could manage. He pulled away from her for a moment, cradling her flushed face in his bare hands. "Helena?"_

_She looked at him through half-closed eyes, smiling slightly. "Yeah?"_

_"We need to pick what we're going to do now." He explained, holding her in his arms. "You know, decide if we're going to give us a try or pick a day where we can spend time together or-"_

_"Q, I just want to live in the moment." She murmured, leaning against him. "I like you, a lot. I know what you mean and I agree with you, but... Tonight's been wonderful and I don't want it to end."_

_He nodded slowly. "Okay, then. What would you like to do?"_

_She flashed him a coy smile. "I have an idea." She whispered into his ear, gently brushing her fingers over his groin. "How about we go back to a hotel and you let me help you get rid of this?"_

_His eyes widened beneath his mask. "You want to...Oh."_

_"Oh?"_

_"Oh, um, sure. I suppose it makes more sense than staying in my car."_

_"Yeah, as much as I love humping in the backseat like two teenagers in heat a hotel sounds better, don't you think?"_

Vic watched with growing desire as they fumbled into the front seat and drove away. They were ready to please each other so quickly? He'd known there would be passion between them but... "Wow." He breathed.

_"And how many beds?" The receptionist yawned. _

_Vic glared at her as Helena rubbed against him, already beginning to take off his shirt. "One, what do you think?"_

_"Had to ask." The obese woman shrugged as she handed him a key._

_After a few moments they reached their room, breathing raggedly. "Y-You ready?" Helena purred, grinding against him as he unlocked the door._

_"You have no idea." He responded as they entered the small room, pressing her against the wall and unzipping his pants._

_Helena took his aching organ out for him. "Actually, I kind of-"_

Vic paused the tape, panting. This was mind-blowing (and he was willing to bet what was about to take place would be to), life-changing evidence of what he could have had with Helena.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to watch the rest of the tape.

_She tugged off his belt, flinging it to the corner of the room where his shirt lay. He kissed her greedily, sliding the mask off her face and beginning to kiss anywhere on it he could reach._

_Moments later, his pants hit the ground. He stared at her hungrily, debating what to take off now. He'd already removed her gloves, mask, boots, and belt. All that was left was her bodysuit._

_Carefully, he un-zippered it slowly as Helena removed his boxers. His hands pulled the skin-tight suit off her gently as her glorious body was revealed to him._

Vic felt a gasp escape him, heart pounding as he took in the erotic sight. Helena was standing there, naked as the day she was born, and so deliciously exposed to him. He felt his pants grow tight as his body temperature rose, shamelessly staring.

He took in everything; her tones legs, flat abs, generous chest, flushed face, perfect figure, and rosebud nipples. A delicious present of warmth and pleasure all wrapped in mocha skin for him.

Guilt latched onto him; it was one think to think about her unclothed, but it was an entirely different scenario to stare at a naked photo of the woman.

He suddenly felt like a pervert.

On the other hand, this was for science. Once again he clicked on the video, trying desperately to control himself as he watched it.

Helena and him sharing passionate kisses as they fell on to the bed, completely naked. Glorious noises as they explored each other's bodies, particularly her gasp of delight when he entered her. Wild positions, flushed faces.

Halfway through he removed his mask as well (the room was dark enough so he didn't have to worry about her seeing his face) just so he could properly show her the way he loved a woman.

After hours of non-stop lovemaking, they collapsed into each other's arms, giggling and panting. They held onto each other as they lay there, slipping into oblivion as exhaustion overtook them.

Vic pondered what would happen next before clicking on another video that took place after Cadmus.

He couldn't help himself; he had to see more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Read and Review**


	7. Roses

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you reviewers:D**

* * *

><p><em>Q fumbled with his tie for what felt like the hundredth time.<em>

_He couldn't help it, he was beyond nervous. Not that he'd ever admit it. Taking a deep breath he checked himself over once more. _

_He thought he looked decent, not exactly attractive, but not drop-dead hideous either. A brown suit, red tie, and a mop of messy red hair he'd given up trying to tame stared back at him as he glanced at the window, shifting the bouquet of roses in his arms._

_His bruises from Cadmus had healed, which was a definite improvement. Hell, Helena had seen him at his worst, why was he even thinking like that?_

_Vic knew this was crazy, and he knew this probably wouldn't end well. But he also knew how he felt. He loved Helena plain and simple, and she had a right to know._

_As he rang the doorbell, the thought of bolting away before he was seen crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He'd chickened out once when it came to telling Helena how he felt; he wasn't doing it again._

_Q patiently waited for the door to open, absently sticking his hand in his pocket and feeling the condom that lay there. It felt almost wrong to bring it, like sex was what he came here for. But on the off chance Helena cared for him the way he cared for her and wanted to physically prove their love, he wanted to be safe._

_He debated ringing the doorbell again, but decided he didn't want to be desperate. On the other hand, she should be flattered he was knocking at all. He tended to skip the entire process and simply use a window._

_He began to hum under his breath as a distraction while he waited. Maybe she wasn't home. Maybe it would be better if he just left._

_He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of such thoughts; he was telling Helena whether he wanted to or not._

_The door flew open to reveal Helena wearing simple jeans and a blinding smiled. _

_He opened his mouth to say hello before being cut off by hearing her laugh as she through her arms around his neck, hugging him for all she was worth. "Hey!"_

_He felt himself grin back like a dork. Maybe this wasn't such a crazy idea. Judging by how happy his mere presence made her telling her he loved her should be like winning the lottery._

_She gave him an enthusiastic peck on the cheek. "It's so good to see you! Come inside, I have _huge _news." Helena ordered playfully, taking his hand in hers and pulling him into her apartment._

_Hope began to flow through him; this wasn't so crazy after all. He saw the way she smiled at him, felt the way she touched him. Maybe she'd cared for him all along. Yes that had to be it! No wonder she'd rescued him from Cadmus._

_Vic made no attempt to resist removing her hand from his palm, enjoying how she felt against his skin. "You seem to be in a good mood."_

_"You have no idea." She smirked. "Guess why."_

_His lips twitched into a grin. "Why?"_

_She took a deep breath before breaking into a dazzlingly large smile. "Roger proposed!"_

_He felt himself freeze. "Wh-What?"_

_"Roger proposed!" She repeated. "Can you believe it?"_

_Horror shot through him, coupled by rejection and disappointment. Only one hope remained. "And what did you say?"_

_"Yes, of course!" She snorted, hugging him again. "Isn't it great?"_

_"Sure, Helena." He choked out; his heart feeling like someone shot it with a crossbow. "Absolutely wonderful."_

_"Thanks." A look of curiosity flashed across her face. "What are the roses for?"_

_The small bouquet suddenly felt like led, so much for trying to woo her. "They're an engagement present." He muttered bitterly. "I already knew."_

_"Oh, thanks." She grinned, taking them from him and breathing in their scent. "They're lovely."_

_"I thought so, too." He mumbled, looking everywhere but at her as the initial shock began to wear off and pain began to take over. "I-I have to go."_

_"Go where? You just got here."_

_"I know, but...I just remembered I left my stove on." He lied, reaching for his coat. "I-I'll see you later."_

_"Okay." She murmured in concern. "Um, Vic, are you alright?"_

_He looked at her as normally as he could, his heart weeping in loss for the love that might never be. "I'm fine. Goodbye."_

_"Bye." She called as he left, waving at him with a concerned look on her face._

_Vic stared at the ground as he walked home, hands buried deep in his pockets. His fingers brushed against the condom he'd put there as he choked out a bitter laugh. _

_What had he been thinking? Helena loving _him_? It was crazy; no way in hell would someone like her care about someone like him._

_He was an idiot blinded by love. Horrible, cruel love had cursed him to be so foolish._

_Heart pounding in pain, he through open the door to his apartment and made a beeline for the kitchen, scooping out a six-pack from the fridge. He surveyed the uncharacteristically clean kitchen as he popped open the lid and took a large gulp of the drink, not bothering to taste it in an attempt to quickly rid himself of the pain._

_With every sip of every beer, the pain slowly dimmed down as he drank himself into blissful oblivion. Who cared about what the bitch did anyways? It wasn't like there'd been anything really between them. Besides, now that she was getting her fine ass hitched maybe he could finally move on and meet someone._

_He could move on, couldn't he?_

* * *

><p>"So I wake up all hot and bothered practically <em>screaming <em>his name, that's how it ended."

"Wow, that's actually really hot." Murmured Dinah thoughtfully. "Did he really take you up against the wall?"

"That's so off topic it's not even funny." Helena scowled.

"Mm, well what do you want me to say? So you had a hot dream, big deal. Do you really expect me to believe you've never fantasized about anyone else since you've been married?" Dinah asked skeptically.

"Well I _have_, I mean come on. But not like _that_."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like..." Helena ran a hand through her hair, attempting to explain it. "Okay, it's one thing to have a hot dream about, say, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow-"

"_Captain _Jack Sparrow." Dinah corrected.

"Sorry, _Captain _Jack Sparrow because A) he's not real, B) the odds of actually sleeping with him are pretty slim, and C) you know it'll never happen but it's still fun to think about. Having an erotic dream about a close friend, on the other hand, is different because it _can _happen."

"But it was just _one _dream." Dinah reasoned. "Who cares? It's not like you actually slept with him."

Helena sighed and stared at the table. "Then why does it feel like a sin?"

"Well, did he say anything that stuck with you?"

Helen mulled it over. "…He said he loved me and that he'd say it as much as I wanted to hear it."

"Oh, well what did you say?"

"That I loved him too." Helena admitted. "But I _don't_! At least not like _that_. Sure, as a brother, maybe, but not as anything more."

"Okay, maybe this will make you feel better. A few years ago, the same thing happened to me. I had a smoking hot dream about Hal Jordan and it completely freaked me out, but you know what I realized?"

"You have a fetish for green?"

"No, well, maybe. But I realized that I'd never sleep with anyone besides Ollie and that I loved him. Does that make you feel any better?"

"No." Helena replied miserably.

"Well maybe this will, did you ever think that you see Vic more than you see Roger?"

"Yes."

"Well maybe it's your minds' way of acknowledging that your husband isn't around enough and Vic does more for you then him sometimes. It was your subconscious's way of telling you you missed your husband and wanted him to be more attentive like Vic is." Dinah finished.

"That...makes sense." Helena admitted in surprise. "Thanks, Dinah."

"Call me Dr. Phil." Canary smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown of concern. "Actually don't, I don't want to risk ever being bald."

"Didn't you wear a wig for all those years?" Helen asked innocently as she stood up to leave.

"You promised you'd never mention it!"

"Did I? Sorry, must've slipped my mind."

"You know most friends don't insult me after I help them." Dinah commented dryly.

"Good thing I'm not like most friends." Helena chirped. "You really think it was no big deal?"

"Positive." Dinah assured her. "I mean come on, you and Vic? Maybe in some other messed up universe."

"Yeah." Helen laughed. "On some other Earth."

* * *

><p>There are times where one wonders what could have been and if the future could have been different, perhaps better, than the current one.<p>

They often muse about love, circumstance, and work, but having no real proof of a different outcome continue to live their lives in blissful ignorance.

What was happening to Vic was nothing like that at all. He had in his grasp physical proof -evidence- that he and Helena could have shared a future together.

Stunned, he had watched them wake up in each other's arms after that fateful night, smiling awkwardly and promising to call soon.

He observed their relationship begin to grow, even him snapping and attempting to assassinate Luthor didn't slow them down. Hell, it had helped them. They had smiled and touched after he revealed to her his face; no longer were they Huntress and Question, dark anti-heroes, but Helena and Vic, two beings beginning to fall in love.

Their relationship had blossomed from a bizarre fling into something serious. They laughed, loved, patrolled, and made love far into the night. They were in sweet, young love and neither seemed to be anxious for it to end.

They weren't perfect. They'd fought like an old married couple from day one, neither of them wanted to admit when they were wrong or apologize first, and a few old secrets had come up that added tension to their relationship.

An old girlfriend of his had kissed him (without consent, of course) and Helena had seen. It took a lot of apologizing and a fair bit of begging to convince her to take him back.

Her family hated him, plain and simple. They didn't think he was Bertinelli material and Helena was harassed about it until she'd politely told them to fuck off.

But...they were still together, and they were happy.

Vic doubted they would ever officially marry; neither of them seemed like the type to settle down. It was fine with him; a ring added nothing but weight to a relationship.

Then Helena became pregnant.

It put strain on them. Neither of them wanted a child, neither of them wanted to give it up. They had no clue how to raise a child, and didn't want to.

The pregnancy had been unplanned, uncomfortable, and unwanted. He knew they wouldn't give up their child, and after initial shock had set in the idea seemed almost...pleasant.

When their baby came (A beautiful baby boy named Richard, in honor of his sensei) they'd quickly adjusted into a moderately normal life with their son, embracing the concept of a family.

Time passed. Helena gave birth to three more children, Isabella, Maria (named after her mother), and Pino, Helenas' deceased brothers namesake.

Vic watched years go by in hours, and as the tapes progressed he had to stop. He shut off his laptop, a hallow feeling deep in his chest.

They were supposed to have been together. They were supposed to have had four children. They were supposed to have made each other happy.

Only they weren't together, they'd never even made love, much less _children_, and while Helena might have been content with Roger, he was miserable.

Life was unfair; he'd known that for as long as he'd been alive. But this was just...cruel. Life had never been kind to him; he had no parents, no family, no money, no real home, and no Helena by his side.

Didn't he deserve a break?

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><p><strong><strong>AN Review please!****


	8. Shopping

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you for all the reviews:D**

* * *

><p><em>"Why am I here?"<em>

_"Because I value your opinion and know that you have a good eye for detail." Helena smiled sweetly. _

_"And...?" Q probed, unconvinced._

_"And Dinah couldn't come so I needed you to tell me if I look okay." Helena admitted. _

_"Ah, that's understandable." Vic conceded. "This isn't going to take long, is it?"_

_"Why, got a hot date?" Helen teased. "This shouldn't take much longer than a few hours, think you can stick around that long?"_

_"A few _hours_? You're buying a dress, Helena, not hacking into NASA." _

_"Excuse me, but I'm not buying just a _dress_, Q, I'm buying my _wedding_ dress." _

_He turned his head away from her with an unhappy frown, burying his hands in his pockets. "I know." He replied softly, trying not to let his misery show. "Believe me."_

_Her head tilted in slight concern as she put her hand on his shoulder._ _"Hey, are you okay?_ _You seem a little down lately. Well, more than usual."_

_He straightened up his back and looked her straight in the eyes. "Fine, Helen, I'm fine. But...I am worried about you. Don't you think you're rushing into this a little soon?"_

_"No, I mean we've been together for like a year now and we're happy together." Helena explained. "This is one of the longest relationships I've ever been in, Q, I don't want it to end."_

_"But how do you know he's the right person?" Vic persisted._

_"I don't know, but I don't think you ever really meet the perfect person. I mean, as long as the one you're with makes you happy, who cares about whether or not they're perfect?"_

_"I suppose." Vic conceded, not really convinced. "Now, where do we go to buy this damned thing?"_

_He let out a yelp as her fist made contact with his arm. "Would you stop calling it that? Crap, I'm making one of the most important decisions of my life and you're doing nothing but being a pain in the ass."_

_"I'm here, aren't I?" Vic shot. "Out of everyone you know, I'm the one here. Please don't accuse me of being an unsupportive pain."_

_"Sorry." Her face softened. "The wedding's added a lot of stress on my life. I mean, I wasn't exactly peachy to begin with but...I'm excited."_

_"I know." Vic murmured quietly. "Let's just buy the dress and leave." At Helena's' glare he added, "Please?"_

_"Fine." She sighed, heading towards the racks of white dresses. "Ooh, this one looks nice. So does this one. I want something that shows off my body, but I don't want to look trashy, you know?"_

_"Sure." He agreed. Helena had a fabulous body, why not show it off a little? "Hurm, how about you pick out your dress and I'll wait for you to show me one you like?"_

_Helen rolled her eyes but waved for him to sit in a chair in the corner of the store. "Fine, but don't fall asleep or I'll be really pissed."_

_He fell asleep._

_The only thing that brought him out of his slumber was Helena smacking his arm in frustration. "Really, Vic? Really?"_

_He opened his eyes and looked at her wearily. "What?"_

_Sighing in exasperation she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dressing room. "Wait here out here, I'll have it on in a second and then you can tell me if I look okay, alright?"_

_"Sounds fair." Vic shrugged, leaning against a wall patiently. Slight annoyance latched onto him at her persistence; he wasn't even the one she was marrying, why did she care what he thought?_

_"Okay, I think I'm ready." She called from the small changing room. _

_Vic raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you still in there?" _

_"Shut up." She scowled, exiting the stall in a rush and smoothing out her dress. _

_He felt his mouth go dry as his eyes widened, catching sight of Helena in the dress. The long white gown shimmered as she stumbled out of the dressing room, smoothing it out with her hands. He took in the sleeveless dress revealing a delicious line of cleavage without showing too much, the tight fabric showing off her hourglass figure, and the long bottom reaching her toes._

_The soft fabric was as white as snow and did wonders for her tanned skin and ebony hair. The veil on top trailed down to her waist and drew attention to her flawless face._

_She looked beyond incredible._

_"I think it'll look better with my hair tied back like this." She offered, quickly throwing her ebony hair into a sloppy bun and placing her hands on her hips. "Do you like it?"_

_"Like it? I-I love it, you look gorgeous..." He rambled in disbelief that she was for him. He was going to marry that beautiful woman and make love to her so right, he was going to hold her close while they slept, he was going to-_

_He wasn't going to do anything like that; Helena wasn't his._

_Helena beamed at him. "Great, do you think Roger will?"_

_"Yes." The lucky bastard would probably spend the entire time fantasizing about her without it and knowing she was his forever. "You look exquisite."_

_The slightest hint of blush appeared on her cheekbones. "Thanks, I hope everyone else will think so."_

_"They will." He mumbled, resisting the urge to gather her up in his arms and hold her close, whispering how beautiful she was and how much he loved her._

_She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good. I'm going to go get dressed, then we can go get something to eat."_

_"Looking forward to it." Vic mumbled, watching her go and self-consciously touching his cheek. Oh how he loved how she felt on his skin. The warm feeling of pleasure coupled by the heat of their bodies; how could she not feel the spark between them?_

_Shaking his head in an attempt to clear himself of such thoughts, he sat back on the chair and waited for Helena to be finished dressing._

_He ignored the feeling of disappointment inside him; Helena wasn't his and she was never going to be._

_He needed to let go._

* * *

><p>Vic wandered down the back alley of Gotham, hands buried deep in his pockets.<p>

He supposed he should have been a tad more concerned than he was, but Vic Sage was The Question; masked defender of The Hub.

He protected the worst city in America -possibly the world- with nothing more than his fists and wit. He'd been trained by Richard Dragon and fought Lady Shiva without dying for crying out loud!

Suffice to say a walk in a Gotham alleyway was like a walk in the park.

His hands brushed against the photo in his pocket. Fighting back a grimace, he took it out and studied it carefully.

It wasn't a real photograph, just an image he'd printed off his computer from some footage he'd found about another Earth, his favorite Earth.

Well, aside from the one where there were no aglets.

Vic eyed the image wearily. It was a photo of a small family in a living room watching television, nothing to exciting.

Except on another Earth this was _his _family, he and Helenas'. He was seated on a blue couch, one arm wrapped around Helena and the other stroking her hair as they talked quietly, staring into each other's eyes happily. On the floor were four others idly watching the television while trying to ignore their parents' displays of affection.

The first, Isabella, was the second oldest. Her blue eyes were half closed with a strand of ebony hair on her face as she fiddled with their youngest child, Maria, on her lap. Next to her was her older brother, Richard, oblivious to everything but his computer while their middle-child, Pino, slept peacefully.

The damn photo made his heart ache in misery over what could've been. Helena was supposed to have been his, damn it!

Vic didn't want children, no use denying that. He'd developed a certain fondness for Helena's' children over the years, but that was as far as it went.

But...it still hurt, not that he hadn't any kids, but that he was supposed to have had a family with Helena.

The additional fact that this guaranteed they were supposed to have made-love at least four times was nice to.

"Hey, give me your money." A rough voice demanded, jolting him out of his thoughts as he slipped the photo away.

Vic sighed and faced the mugger wearily. "Or what?"

The masked man raised a pistol from his pocket. "I'll shoot."

Deciding to play along for the moment, he spread apart his hands and opened his palms. "I don't have any money."

"What 'bout that thing you shoved in your pocket." The mugger probed. "You seemed to be in a damn big hurry to hide it from me."

Vic stiffened. "It's something personal, nothing worth stealing."

"If you ain't fork'n it over I think it is." The mans' eyes narrowed as he lunged forward and tried to grab the photo from Vic's' pocket.

"No!" Vic growled, grabbing the mans arms and flinging him onto the wall.

The robber stood up and rubbed his arm, making another lunge and grabbing the photo. "Ha! I got it, I-it's a photo." He stuttered in disbelief.

"No shit!" Vic spat, punching the man hard enough to break his jaw before grabbing back the photo and carefully putting it back in his pocket.

"You're in a rather violent mood, Question." Remarked a new voice dryly.

"My, you're an observant little rodent now aren't you, Batman?"

Batman leaped off the rooftop and took a long look at the mugger. "What's that piece of paper he was trying to steal?"

"Nothing." Vic lied. "Just a photograph."

"You seemed pretty upset when he took it for it to be merrily a photograph, Vic. What's in it?"

"I told you, nothing." Vic argued. "Go away."

Batman stared at him skeptically. "I'm going to find out anyway, you might as well let me see it now."

After a moment of debate Q unhappily handed Bruce the photo, inwardly wincing at the faintest hint of a smile on the Dark Knights' lips. "Well, it seems you haven't grown out of your little crush."

"Don't mock me Bruce, you never told Diana how you felt, either." Vic reminded him. "Give it back to me, please."

Bruce handed it back to him after a moment of contemplation. "It's a sad thing, watching a man disintegrate because of a woman, Vic. Helena's not worth it."

"You don't know that." Vic whispered softly, staring at the ground. "I love her, and deep down she loves-"

"Roger, not you." Batman interrupted tonelessly. "She never will, Vic. Do yourself a favor an forget her."

Vic screwed his eyes shut, clenching his fists. "Leave, Bruce, _now_."

"What if I don't, Vic? Afraid I'll keep talking?" The Bat tilted his chin upwards. "It's pitiful to watch someone so desperate for the truth be afraid to face his own."

"Shut up." Vic growled. "You don't know anything about us!"

"I'd listen to him if I were you, Batman." Helena recommended in her Huntress gear, stepping out of the shadows. "You're supposed to protect people, not harass them."

"You don't have to protect me, Helena. I can take care of myself." Vic protested.

Helena ignored him and took a step towards Bruce. "Leave, this is my territory."

"This entire city is my territory, Huntress. I allow you to work here, don't push it." Bruce threatened as he left.

"He's such a bastard sometimes." Helena swore, turning back to Vic. "What was he doing, anyways?"

"Being Batman." Vic shrugged.

"I guess, are you okay?"

"I feel a little sick." Vic admitted. "I'm going to go home and relax."

"Good." Helena nodded, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. "You do feel a little warm. Promise you're going to rest and not stay up working?"

Vic laughed quietly. "Yes, Mother." He promised, giving her hand a kiss.

He ignored the looming shadow of the Dark Knight as he walked away.

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><p><strong>AN Read and review!**


	9. Drunken Kisses

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**A/N There is an awesome new HQ story that just got posted called 'The Hunter Of The Question', which I helped LordFrieza write. It's Huntress and Question dealing with the effects CADMUS in another universe; a universe where their genders are reversed. It's definitely worth a read.**

**Thank you for all the reviews:D **

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><p><em>"Alright Helen, I think it's time to go." <em>

_"But Viccy!" Helena giggled. "I'm having so much *hic* fun!"_

_Vic fought back a sigh. Helena was absolutely intoxicated after her bridal shower, how she was even standing up was beyond his level of comprehension._

_"We can give her a *hic* ride." An equally smashed Dinah Lance offered. "Can't we, Ollie-pop?"_

_Vic raised an eyebrow at the greatly embarrassed Oliver Queen standing next to her. "Ollie-pop?"_

_"You don't want to know." Ollie sighed, gently taking Dinah by the hand and pulling her towards him. "The things we do for women, huh?"_

_Q cast Helena a look. "You have no idea."_

_"But at least I'm getting something out of it." Ollie grinned. "I get to sleep with her. What are you getting from Helena?"_

_"Currently a migraine." Vic replied dryly. "Come on Helen, I think it's time for us to go."_

_"Bye Dinah and Ollie-pop!" Helena giggled, waving goodbye. _

_Vic gave her a weary glance. "You, Ms. Bertinelli, are drunk."_

_"No shit!" She smirked, jumping on him. "Now carry me."_

_"Oof!" Q gasped, holding her in his arms. "Helena..."_

_"Yeees?"_

_"Down."_

_"You're no fun." She pouted, jumping off him. "Hey, Vic?"_

_"Yes?" He asked tiredly, leading her out of the bar and into the Gotham night. _

_"Can I ask you something? I mean, you're the Question, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Who's your answer?"_

_"Excuse me?" _

_"Who's your answer?" She pressed. "You know, like your soul mate?"_

_"Uh, I really don't want to talk about this." Vic coughed. "Let's just get you home and into bed before someone else does."_

_"But I want to know!" She protested. "Is it Ollie?"_

_"Wha-No! Of course it's not Ollie!"_

_"Is it Shayera?" She slurred. _

_"No, Helena, it's not. Now can we please just get you home? I don't want something bad to happen to you."_

_"You're soooo sweet." Helena sighed, taking a step closer to him and putting her hands on his chest. "I wish I was your answer, then you'd be my sweet little Question."_

_He looked at her sadly. "I wish that, too. I wish you were my Helen, not Roger's."_

_She looked at him oddly before standing on her toes and kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing him against the wall of the alley they were in._

_Vic felt himself freeze as Helena's lips covered his own, kissing him passionately. For a second everything was all right in the world, and for the first time in a long time he didn't feel so alone. Everything was blissfully quiet as he and Helena kissed away._

_Not quite several seconds later, he pushed her away. "What-What are you doing?"_

_"Kissing you, stupid." She laughed. "You said you wanted me."_

_"I-I do, but not like this. You're-You're drunk, Helena, it's not right." He stuttered. _

_She yanked him over to her by the tie, slipping her hands in his pants and squeezing him. "Jesus Christ!" Vic gasped, jumping back and trying to control himself after Helena touching him where he so badly wanted it._

_"What?" She giggled. _

_He closed his eyes struggling not to let his emotions show. This was what he'd wanted for so long, Helena to offer him her affection and love. To touch him where he hadn't been touched in so long. "Helena, listen to me; you are _drunk_. It doesn't matter what I want and it doesn't matter how I feel."_

_She gave him a puzzled look. "But you're hard."_

_"...Yes, yes I am." Vic gritted out. "Thank you for reminding me." He was hard, harder than he'd been in years, which was exactly why they needed to get moving soon._

_"But I want you." Helena pouted, trying to kiss him as he pushed her away. _

_Vic stared at her for a second, eyes running over her body. "I-I..."_

_She stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips, hard. He felt his resolve break away as he pushed her against the brick wall, slamming their bodies together and kissing her furiously as two and a half years of suppressed lust surfaced. _

_Helena groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her possessively, running his hands over her body and groping her. She slid her hand back into his pants as he groaned her name, giving in to his temptation._

_Somewhere in the back of his mind Vic knew this was wrong, but at the moment he couldn't have cared less. For the time being Helena was all his, and he was going to love her like no man ever had. As they smashed lips he felt her tongue slide into his mouth and cover his own._

_This wasn't quiet how he'd imagined Helena and him confessing their love. He hadn't imagined them dry humping like teenagers in an alleyway, or Helena tasting so much like alcohol, but who was he to complain? He quietly moaned into the curve of her neck, kissing her softly as she stroked him._

_"H-Helena!" He gasped. "We-We should go home now. You know, to your apartment."_

_"Okay." She smiled, removing her hand and giving him another kiss. "Tic-Tac, I mean Taxi!" _

_The couple stumbled into a yellow cab quickly, kissing each other with growing hunger until they finally reached Helena's large apartment. Helen giggled as she pulled him to her, beginning to once again kiss him passionately. _

_He groaned in response and began to unbutton her blouse, heat pulsing through him as he began to see cleavage and the top of her bra. How had he managed to control himself for so many years? At the moment it was impossible._

_Helena ran her hands through his hair, clutching it possessively in her fists. Q let out a small yelp as cold metal banged against his head, opening his eyes to see what it was in the mirror across the hall._

_It was an engagement ring; _Helena's _engagement ring. _

_He stopped his actions to stare at their reflection. Helena rubbing against him and kissing him wildly, fingers running through his red hair with a hint of glistering silver he hadn't given her sticking out like a sore thumb._

_This had to stop before it got out of hand. Helena would never forgive him for taking advantage of her, much less while she was engaged, and quite frankly he didn't know if he could take the guilt. "H-Helena, we need to stop."_

_Helen paused the attack of her lips on his neck to stare at him. "Why?"_

_"I can't do it." Vic panted, shaking his head. "I want to, but...it's not right." He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I want to, but I respect you to much to do it."_

_She looked at him skeptically before tilting her head in an attempt to kiss him once more. "Helena! Stop, please! This-This is hard enough." He whimpered, caressing her face. "I love you, sweetheart, but if I do this then you'll hate me."_

_She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, resting her forehead against his. "No I won't, Viccy. I *hic* really like...I really like you." _

_A sad smile flashed across his face as he picked her up in his arms, carrying her up the stairs. "I like you to, Helena. But I have a funny feeling you'll change your mind in the morning." Vic sighed, gently placing her on the bed._

_"You're such a nice guy, Vic." Helena muttered as she dozed off. "Really, really nice..."_

_He waited a little while longer, making sure she was asleep before beginning to creep out of her apartment. Helena was right; he was a nice guy._

_Nice guys always seemed to finish last._

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><p>Huntress frowned and checked her watch for the sixth time since patrol started.<p>

Where the hell was Q?

Helena wasn't too worried; this _was _Question after all. Besides being famed for being the League's crackpot, he also was notorious for rarely being anywhere on time. Her personal rule was not to worry about him until it had been three days, then she could hunt him down and depending on his state of being either kick his ass or give him a hug.

Still, it never hurt to check out his apartment while she was out, just in case something _did _happen.

Maybe if she'd paid Vic a visit to his apartment sooner Cadmus wouldn't have captured him.

She dismissed her train of thought quickly knowing full well having a guilt-trip would do nothing to help either her or Vic. Occasionally thoughts of her being a better friend and saving him sooner entered her mind at night as she lay alone with nothing else to think about, but more often than not she immediately dismissed them from her thoughts.

Still...

With a sigh she stood up and leapt onto the next rooftop gracefully, cape flying behind her. _I swear if he's at home sitting on his computer and typing away I'm going to kick his ass so hard he won't be able to sit for a week. _She thought determinately, slightly miffed at the fact she wasn't finishing her patrol.

She silently crept towards his apartment removing a lock pick from her belt and beginning to fiddle with his window.

With a triumphant smirk she propped it open and slid inside, only to have a bolt of electricity shoot out from a gun in the wall.

"Hey, what the hell!" She screeched, jumping to the side and barely managing to avoid the deadly energy. "Q, your house is trying to kill me!"

"One *cough* second!" He called from the room next door.

A moment later the gun disappeared back into the wall, much to Helena's relief. "Where the hell have you been?" She demanded. "I came over here to make sure you were okay and I almost got freakn' electrocuted!"

"Sorry." Vic mumbled, shuffling into the small hallway. "Why are you-you-_Achoo_!" He sneezed before turning back to Helen. "Why are you here?"

"I came over here to check on you and make sure you were alright." Helena frowned, eying him suspiciously.

"Oh. I'm fine." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you sure?" Helena frowned skeptically. "You don't look fine."

"Well I *_cough* _feel fine."

"Uh-huh." She muttered, taking in his mussed up hair, bloodshot eyes, and flushed face. "Because I know when _I _feel fine I like to stay home all day in my pajamas looking like hell and coughing up a storm."

"Don't you have patrol?" Vic asked in a vein attempt to switch subjects.

"Yes, Vic, patrol with _you_."

"I thought we had patrol on Tuesday, which is tomorrow."

"Q...Today is Saturday." Helena sighed, moving closer to him. "So, how long have you been sick for?"

"I am not sick!"

"Vic..."

"I'm not." He argued stubbornly.

Helena glared at him and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Jesus Q, you're practically on fire!" She exclaimed, taking a step back and pushing him towards his bedroom. "Bed, now!"

"Helena, I am _fine_." Q sighed in exasperation, fighting back a cough.

"No, you're not, and seeing as you're to much of a stubborn ass to take care of yourself you leave me no choice." Helena finished threateningly. "Go get into bed, now!"

"But I'm not -AHCOO!- sick." He protested meekly as Helena pulled him in the direction of his bedroom.

"Q I swear, you can be so stupid for such a smart guy!" She scowled, pushing him onto the bed.

"Hey!" Vic cried as he fell onto his mattress. "You're not supposed to push sick people."

"So you admit you're sick." Helena smirked triumphantly.

"Not sick." Vic argued with a shake of his head as he attempted to get out of his small bed. "Can't be sick. Have to work and patrol and-"

"Stay!" Helena said forcefully, pushing him back against the pillows. "You will _not_ work, you will _not _go on patrol, and you_ definitely _won't get out of this bed, got it?"

"Yes, Mother." Vic sighed as he reclined back into his bed. "Do feel a little under the weather..."

"Told you." Helena murmured, sitting down next to him. "You know if everyone would just listen to me the world would be a hell of a lot better place."

"Hurm, I suppose." Vic conceded, feeling Helena gently place her hand on his forehead.

"Crap, you're really warm. I'm going to go make you something to eat, okay? Try to fall asleep." She muttered, climbing off his bed and turning around at the doorway, waving a finger at him like a mother scolding her son. "Don't get out of that bed, Mister. If you do than a little cold is going to be the least of your problems."

Smiling slightly, he watched her exit the room and murmured under his breath, "Yes, dear."

* * *

><p>Helena had been sleeping on the couch after deciding to spend the night at Q's place when a low moan woke her up.<p>

"What the...?" She murmured groggily, rubbing her eyes and surveying the small living room she was in. "Q, is that you?"

_Well, that's a stupid question. _Helena thought to herself as she got up to go check on her friend. _Who else would it be, Santa Claus?_

She crept towards his bedroom door quietly, putting her ear against it and listening carefully. A few moments later another soft moan was heard.

Helena began to feel a little nervous; Vic's cold might have done something to his lungs, thus making it difficult to breathe. She tentatively opened the door, not bothering to knock.

"Vic, are you al-Whoops!" She muttered; eyes widening as she took in the sight of her friend.

Vic was still asleep, but it wasn't his lungs being filled with mucus that was causing his moans. A light sheen of sweat covered his body, his already flushed face an even darker shade, and his hands were gripping the sheets so tightly his knuckles were white.

Another low moan escaped his lips as Helena began to feel greatly embarrassed, particularly at the large bump rising in the middle of his thin cotton sheets.

As quickly as possible, she went over and placed her hand on his chest to feel his breathing, making sure it was all right.

"Mm, 'Len?" Vic mumbled in his sleep.

Mortification began to rise as Helena quickly turned to leave the room, swearing quietly under her breath. No way would Q feel comfortable with her watching him while he slept, particularly while he was having an erotic dream.

Still half-asleep, Vic grabbed her arm and pulled her down onto him. "Mm, Helena..."

"Oh shit, Vic, I'm so sorry I-" She was cut off by Vic pulling her face down and giving her a tender kiss.

She froze, her mind screaming in protest and horror as he pulled away and sleepily opened his eyes. Pure horror and shock was written allover his flushed face as he stared at her.

Her face bore an almost identical expression as she gaped at him. "_V-Vic_?"

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><p><strong>AN I imagine a lot of people are ready to kill me right now after leaving you all with a cliffhanger. Sucks to be you!**

**A/N Read and Review**


	10. The Thong

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you for all the reviews:D **

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><p><em>Vic fidgeted uncomfortably from where he was standing, eying the large crowd wearily. <em>

_Despite being on the news every night, Vic was not very comfortable with getting a lot of attention. Standing up here was making him feel awkward and out of place. The good thing, however, was that all eyes were drawn to the groom instead of him. A frown flashed across his face as he realized that was the only good thing about today._

_Today, Helena was marrying a smart, wealthy, attractive man who she loved very much._

_A man who wasn't him._

_He fought back a sigh and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. His beautiful Helena was marrying the love of her life, and he was merely the best man._

_The revelation left a bitter taste in his mouth. _

_He cast a glance at Roger looking painfully handsome in his charcoal black suit, oblivious to how fortunate he was to be marrying his Helena. _

_The soft sound of music jolted him out of his trance as Vic focused his attention to the isle, Ollie and Dinah beginning to walk down it slowly. Q knew it would take a few more minutes before Helena herself did; perhaps at this very moment she was having doubts about this entire thing._

_A rather large crowd had turned up for the wedding, many of the guests being members of the five families in Gotham. Had it been any other day Huntress would have had them locked up and beaten before they could say 'Mama mia!', but this was a very special occasion._

_He knew the families, particularly her own family members, badgered Helena about when she would marry and produce more Bertinelli's. The question of who could be honored with such a mighty task was often questioned, but there was no better man for the job than Roger Munroe._

_Born into a pure Italian family, Roger had quickly shown signs of promise and intelligence. He went to an incredible college in Rome and graduated top of his class before moving on to become a wealthy stock trader. A rich, attractive man with pure Italian blood and the possibility of connection was more than welcomed into the family, proving even further that Roger was the type of man Helena needed._

_Vic turned his attention back to the ceremony._

_Five more couples followed Ollie and Dinah down the isle, preceded by the flower girl (Helena's four year-old niece) and the ring barer (her two year-old cousin). In Vic's modest opinion the entire thing was moderately pointless, but who was he to judge?_

_After what seemed like an eternity the crowd rose from their seats, craning their necks for a glance at Helena. Vic looked up slowly and felt his jaw drop._

_Helena's dress was simple yet gorgeous, decked out in a strapless floor-length gown she was uncharacteristically angelic. Her every step radiated beauty. His eyes latched onto her flawless face, taking in her every feature. To his surprise she was wearing make-up, and though she didn't need it, it made her look even more stunning. _

_Her ebony hair was drawn into a bun perched on her head, the long see-through veil falling towards the floor. Draped on her arm, no matter how much she wished it had been her actual father, was Bruce Wayne. It seemed suiting that the man who Huntress viewed as a father figure would act as one on such an important occasion, and after quite a lot of persuasion by both Helena and Diana, Bruce reluctantly complied._

_Despite the fact the entire service seemed to take years, it was as if only seconds had gone by until Helen was at the altar, smiling at Roger like he hung the moon and stars. _

_Vic looked at them silently, wondering how in the world he'd ended up over here instead of where he belonged by her side. Deep down Q knew he had only himself to blame, but that did little to ease the aching pain in his chest. Question absently cast a look at Oliver Queen standing next to him, watching the Emerald Archer wink and mouth things he regretted seeing to the giggling Dinah Lance-Queen._

_"-Why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest rambled on._

_Vic bit his tongue to keep himself in check. No way could he blurt out his emotions __now _and embarrass Helena like that. She would never forgive him.__

_Q listened intently at the promises Roger was expected to make in order to marry Helena, mentally promising himself, if given the opportunity, he'd do them just as well. Roger flashed his movie star smile at Helena and murmured, "I do."_

_The priest gave him a slight nod and turned to Helena, beginning to ask her the same set of questions. Helena smiled enthusiastically, happily rattling off her vows with tears of joy swelling up in her eyes._

_Vic felt like he was going to be sick._

_"And do you, Helena Bertinelli, take this man, Roger Munroe, to be your lawfully wedded husband as long as you both shall live?"_

_Vic's eyes shot towards her, studying her face. This was it, what he needed. Just the slightest hints of hesitation, the smallest glance in his direction, any hint that just the slightest bit of his feelings were returned. He wanted, no, he _needed _her to give him at least that; just the smallest token of hope._

_But there was nothing, not even a fraction of a glance in his direction._

_"I do." _

_Dread began to seep through him as the priest declared they were married, horror as they sealed the promise with a kiss. That should have been him up there, promising to take care of Helena. He should have been the groom, not the damn best man._

_She wasn't his, but... She looked so incredibly happy, much more cheerful than he could ever remember seeing her. Everything about her radiated joy, from her eyes to her smile. _

_How could he take that away from her?_

_Swallowing his pride, he took a wobbly step forward and grabbed Roger by the shoulder as they headed out to leave. "Roger!'_

_The brunette turned to stare at him in bewilderment, "Yes?"_

_"Promise me..." He struggled to find the right words, voicing his favor in a manner that made sense. "Promise me that you'll take care of her."_

_The new husband smiled at him. "Of course I will, Vic. I'll treat her like a queen, in and out of bed."_

_Q forced a smile on his face. "Thank you." He muttered, feeling slightly better with the knowledge Helena would be properly cared for and appreciated._

_Even if he wasn't the one making her feel that way._

* * *

><p>"V-Vic?"<p>

Q stared at Helena in disbelief trying to remember what the hell had happened to make them end up in such an inappropriate situation.

He'd been having a wonderful dream about them in a log cabin in the mountains, alone and lost in each other's arms. They'd been kissing intently and removing each other's clothes, barely controlling themselves as they fumbled around.

He'd felt Helena place her hands on his chest, making him smile and pull her down for a kiss. Only when he'd opened up his eyes she'd been pressed on top of him looking dumbfounded, his head aching and allowing him to realize this wasn't a dream.

Which also meant that he was completely screwed.

"I-I'm so sorry!" He blurted out, turning red in the face.

"Me to!" Helena stammered, equally embarrassed. "I came into check on you, I swear to God!"

The kiss had been quick, sloppy, and not entirely consensual. In all honesty it was more of an unanticipated banging of teeth than something you would see in a romantic comedy, not that Vic cared. Waking up to find himself actually kissing Helena had been wonderful, but judging by the mortified look on her face the feeling was far from mutual.

"Why?"

"Because you were making all these weird sounds and you had a fever earlier so I thought that maybe, I don't know, you were dying or something!"

"I was not _dying_, I was simply having a very, ah, _enjoyable_ dream."

"I could see that." Helena chuckled, her embarrassment beginning to leave her. "I thought you were possessed by a demon from the way you kept groaning and gripping your poor sheets."

"...Thank you." Vic muttered slowly, mortified Helena had seen him at such a private time. "Sorry if I somehow offended you."

"How would you having a sex dream offend me?"

"I don't know; women are strange about things such as this." Vic explained. "Some women find it degrading."

"Some women don't shave, but that doesn't make it any less gross." Helena shrugged.

"Not in France."

"And do you find it attractive?"

"No." He admitted with a light grin.

"Good." A mischievous grin fell onto her lovely face. "So...who were you thinking of that made you kiss me?"

"...Do you remember that amazing woman I was telling you about? Her." Q replied honestly while still managing to hide the complete truth.

"Am I ever going to find out who this mystery-woman is?"

"Perhaps."

Helen laughed at his vague answer, but it quickly turned into a frown. "...Do you mind if I get off your lap now?"

"What? Oh, of course." He muttered as she slid off him, wishing she hadn't forgotten the way they were seated.

"It's okay." She assured him, nibbling her lip. "Vic, why did you kiss me?"

Q tried to imagine what it would be like if he told Helena he loved her more than anything. How bad could she honestly react? After all, he'd kissed the woman and she hadn't broken his face. On the other hand, she was under the impression he'd done it out of delusion brought on by a fever and an erotic dream.

Maybe it was best to keep it that way.

"As I said before, I was having a dream, and when I woke up I thought I was still in it. Didn't even occur to me you were you, you know."

"Really?" Helena blinked. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"It's okay." He assured her. "It was nice, actually."

Helena raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Seriously? That was awful! Jesus, we gotta get you out more so you can figure out what a good kiss actually is."

Vic gulped quietly, was kissing him really that terrible? He sincerely doubted he was a phenomenal kisser, but _awful_? Had she really felt nothing? "You weren't exactly the greatest kisser I've ever met, either."

"Because I was unprepared." Helena said dismissively. "Trust me, I'm a fantastic kisser. Just ask Roger."

"Roger, eh?" He looked at her wearily. "How are things going with you two?"

The brightening on Helena's face told him all he needed to know. "Better, a _lot _better. At first I thought he was bullshitting me, but then he started to really try to make me happy. He's coming home tonight after a business trip, you know."

"Kids must be happy to have him home." Vic commented, still thinking of Helena's lips on his own.

"Definitely." Helena sighed happily. "They miss him like crazy when he's away, I mean I can only fill in for him so much."

"Well I'm glad you two are finally done working out your problems." Vic lied.

"You and me both." Murmured Helen, placing the back of he hand against his forehead to see if his temperature had gone away. "Hm, you don't feel warm anymore. Do you feel any better?"

"Yes, no doubt due to your fretful mothering." Q smirked.

"Shut up." The Italian-American laughed, playfully slapping his arm. "You should be grateful, not sarcastic."

"Sorry, mother."

"You're an ungrateful smartass, you know that." Helen scowled. "I have to go, Roger should be coming home soon and I don't want to be late."

"Are you sure you have to go? I could make you dinner as a repayment." He offered.

"Oh, now that I'm leaving you're sweet." Helen snorted, bending down and giving him a hug goodbye. "I'll have to pass tonight, but don't think I won't remember it in the long run."

"The thought never crossed my mind." Vic assured her as she turned to leave.

He wished she'd stayed.

* * *

><p>"-Then the waiter just kept looking at me like I was insane, so I kept trying to tell him why the joke was funny, but he didn't get it." Roger rolled his eyes. "Teenagers, thank God we don't have any."<p>

"Just a pre-teen." Helen laughed in agreement. "God, you have no idea how great it feels having you home."

"You wouldn't believe how good it feels to _be _home. I swear, I love my job but the miles they make me log are ridiculous."

"Aw, poor baby got to go to Mexico for a week and had to do a little work. My heart bleeds." Helena smirked sarcastically.

"Touché. So what did you do while I was away?"

"Not much." Helena admitted. "Graded papers, taught at the school, patrolled, took care of the kids...Oh, and Vic since he was sick."

"Couldn't he take care of himself?"

"I honestly don't know, maybe if he would just rest instead of insisting on working all the time he could."

"Man's more of a workaholic than I am." Roger snorted. "But at least I'm getting paid."

"True, but we get to go all around the world and beat the crap out of people without getting sued." Helen rebutted.

"If that's what you like." Roger muttered wearily.

"I do." Helena murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's a part of me."

"I know." Roger sighed, giving her a kiss. "But that doesn't mean I like it. Well, the costume's awesome, but that's about it."

Helena laughed and turned her attention back to the suitcase thrown haphazardly onto the couple's bed. "Pervert. Ugh, would it kill you to put something away for once."

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes and began to unpack the large container of luggage, pulling out an array of shirts, pants, and other necessities. "You always pack such exciting things."

"Hey! What were you expecting, sombreros and tacos?"

Helena ignored his comment and continued unpacking. _Boring, boring, boring, bo-What the hell? _Her fingers brushed against the lacy red fabric, confusion written all over her face as she pulled out a silky thong.

What. The. Hell.

Keeping her voice steady she asked, "What the hell is this?"

"What's what?" He frowned, turning around only to have the article of clothing, if you could even call it that, shoved in his face.

"This! What the hell is it?"

"Um, your thong?"

"_My _thong? Oh not it's not, I know my clothing and I do _not _own this!" Fury was beginning to pump through her. "Well? Who's is it!"

"What do you mean 'who's'? I bought it for you!" He exclaimed.

Helena's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Cut the bullshit, who's is it?"

"Yours! I bought it for you in Mexico, honest!"

"Why do I doubt that?"

"I don't know, probably out of guilt!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Helen demanded.

"Oh come on, you hang out with Vic all the time. I see the way he makes puppy-dog eyes at you when you're together, the man's hot for you! Do you seriously expect me to believe you're 'just friends' or that there was never _anything _between you two?"

"There wasn't! Vic is one of my closest friends, Roger, we've never done anything and he does _not _have the hots for me!"

"Well it sure as hell seems like it, and with you two always acting so chummy can you blame me for being suspicious?" He rubbed his temple in contemplation. "Look, I don't know, maybe you liked him for a little while or you two did something after we got married and you feel bad about it which is why you think I'm cheating on you."

"We never did anything!" Helena cried before she remembered the kiss. Did that even count? Vic had been half-asleep, and she hadn't felt anything but surprised.

Maybe he was right and it was just guilt.

"Look, I bought you that thong as a present from Victoria's Secret, okay? I promise." He took her hands in his, kissing them. "I love you, Helena. You know I'd never do anything like that."

Her gaze softened, "I know."

"Good." He murmured, giving her another kiss. "I'm going to go spend some time with the kids now, okay?"

"Fine." Helen muttered as he left, eying the thong on the bed. Roger was probably right about the guilt-thing; there wasn't anything going on between him and another woman.

Was there?

* * *

><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	11. Guilt

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Guys, I'm so sorry for the delay. I'm on vacation and it's hard to get a computer to write on.**

**Thank you for all the reviews:D**

* * *

><p><em>A large crowd of guests swarmed through the grand hall causing Vic's claustrophobia to almost go into over-drive.<em>

_Taking a few deep breaths, he searched the floor for his Helena. _'No.' _He mentally corrected himself, _'Not _my_ Helena, never my Helena.'

_He couldn't help himself; pain gnawed at him. Despite preparing himself for this damned event knowing full well it would be a temporary hell nothing could prepare him for the actual pain of enduring it. _

_Watching his woman marry some rich pretty-boy while he stood there with a fake grin plastered on his face hadn't exactly been the highlight of his week. Hell, the only reason he'd came to this damn thing was because Helena had all but gotten down on her knees and begged him, playing the but-you're-such-a-good-friend card shamelessly. _

_"Hey!" Oliver Queen shouted, clasping a hand on Q's shoulder. "Dinah and I have been calling for you for ten minutes. Care to join us back on Earth and get your head out of the clouds?"_

_"Hurm." Was Vic's only reply as Ollie lead him towards the small table he was sharing with Dinah._

_"Hey Cupid." An unmasked Black Canary smiled at Oliver, pulling him down for a kiss._

_Vic stared at them and felt a growing disgust of such soft emotions swell up. What, was every human on the planet infatuated with emotions bent on turning humanity into one giant mush ball? What was it about that damn feeling that made the world so cruel?_

_Deciding that the couple in front of him had no desire to turn down their passion, Vic turned around and walked away, still searching for Helena. Anger was starting to flare up again; it shouldn't be this hard to find a damn bride at a wedding! _

_On the other hand, what good would it even do? What would he say to her? Sure, he could merely smile and wish the disgustingly happy couple good luck, but he sure as hell didn't want to. Damn that woman for putting him through this; what had he ever done to her that would make her be so cruel? _

_Enough was enough, standing here miserably was accomplishing nothing. Sighing to himself, he spun around on his heels and headed to the men's room silently. He trudged into the bathroom and went straight for the sink to splash some cool water onto his face, perhaps to wake him from this nightmare. _

_The freezing liquid felt good on his skin, it's piercing temperature offering up a good distraction. Vic looked up into the mirror above him, studying himself. Tired blue eyes and an expressionless face stared back at him as he slowly let out a deep breath. "Get a hold on yourself, Sage. Not like you were really anything to begin with." _

_"Talking to yourself? You know they say that's the first sign of madness." Another voice laughed lightly, "Though, you were always a little out there to begin with."_

_Vic fought back a string of curses at the sound of Roger's voice and forced what he hoped resembled a smile onto his face, "It's been said. Congratulations, by the way."_

_"Thank you." The other man nodded, walking up and un-zippering his fly. "Helena's one hell of a woman, I got lucky with her."_

_"Yes..." Vic agreed, proceeding to do the same, "You did." _

_"Heh, not to mention how great she is in bed." Roger added with a wink._

_Q gave an awkward cough before adding, "Meant what I asked you to do, you know. Take good care of her, promise?"_

_"I already told you I would. You're a little over-protective there, Vic. Who would've thought?" Roger smirked, "Careful though, she doesn't like it when people try to take care of her."_

_Vic nodded, "Believe me, I know."_

_"Well, that isn't exactly true. She really likes it when you take care of her in bed, heh." _

_Question clenched his jaw, inwardly trying to remind himself that there wasn't anything wrong about talking about what you did in bed with your wife. Even if the man you were talking to about it too wanted very much to be the one doing those things to her instead. _

_Curiosity winning over, he discreetly allowed his gaze to glance over at the other man to see how he stacked up so to speak. He took a quick peek at the man standing next to him needing just something as small as this to boost his ego just enough to give him some confidence. Roger might have had everything he didn't- money, a family tree he knew by heart, looks, a good reputation, and most importantly Helen- but that didn't mean he didn't need all of that just to condensate for something as important as his size._

_His eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the other man's length, glancing back at what he had to offer as disparity began to rise. Was he not allowed a single break? The bastard already had everything he never would, couldn't the universe just give him one damn break? _

_Damn Italian genes._

_"Uh, got to go talk to Oliver." Vic lied, quickly zipping up his pants and heading out of the bathroom. This had been one of the worst days of his life, and considering his entire life story that statement wasn't to be taken lightly._

_Every hope of being something with Helen was gone, every kiss, every touch, every meaningful word he wanted them to share had been stolen from him by some rich-boy with a freakishly large penis. All those damn plans he'd made for the two of them had faded away and left him bitter and alone._

_A warm hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts, "Vic?"_

_Q felt his body tense up at the sound of Helena's voice, "Yes?" he asked turning around to face her. He took a moment to admire her beauty, musing that it wasn't that much of a surprise he fell so hard so fast. Any warm-blooded man would have._

_"Are you having a good time?" _

_"Of course." He lied easily. "You look stunning, Helena. He's...He's a very lucky man."_

_Her lips twitched into a small smirk as she held out her hand to him, "Wanna dance crazy-man?"_

_A light smile appeared on his face as he took her hand in his, pulling her towards him, "Alright, but I'm not a very good dancer."_

_"Just look at me." Helena instructed, placing his hands on her hips as they softly moved across the floor. "Basically all we're doing is walking slow, can you do that?"_

_"Don't think so." Vic admitted, sliding his arms around her back as she rested her head on his shoulder. This felt so good, so right. Why didn't she feel the way he did when they touched? How could she spend so much time with him but still love the pretty-boy instead? What did Roger have that he didn't?_

_"You're being so quiet." Helen murmured, lazily resting her head on the curve of Q's neck and shoulder. "What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing." Question muttered dismissively. "Helena, about Roger...Does-Does he make you happy?"_

_"Oh yes." She nodded eagerly, "He pays for the meal when we go out to eat, I don't ever have to remind him to lift up the toilet seat, he cooks, tells me he loves me after we've made love, he's Italian so my parents would've approved..." Helena trailed off happily before letting out a light laugh, "He's pretty much perfect, Vic. I love him so much."_

_"Good." Q gulped quietly, cradling her body against his as he tried to swallow the information he'd been given. Helena was happy with this man. Roger not only made her happy, but he could give her so much Vic couldn't. The man had money, connections, and a promising future he wanted Helen to be a part of. _

_Vic had to scrape up two weeks pay just to afford to buy her those damn roses._

_Q loved Helena; he wanted her to be happy. Maybe he'd been wrong about them being together. If this man could give Helena what she needed and made her happy, well, then what could he complain about? "I-I have to go." He muttered, breaking away as she called for him. Q ignored her as he tried to leave the room in a vain attempt to stop the walls from closing in on him as reality sank in. Helena wasn't his and she never would be; he couldn't give her the life she deserved. "Question!" Cried Dinah, grabbing him by the arm. "Vic, what's wrong."_

_"There's a shipment of socks coming in from Japan that contain serious radiation. Have to go check it out." He lied quickly._

_"Now? At Helena's _wedding_?" Canary frowned, "Q...That little crush you had on Huntress-" Vic opened his mouth to protest but Dinah held up her palm, "Don't even start, I'm psychic with these things. Anyways, that little crush you had on Helena...you don't still have it, do you?"_

_An overwhelming urge to share the burden of how he felt overtook him as he tried to swallow it. "Don't be foolish, as I said before I need to-"_

_"You still care about her, don't you?" Dinah asked softly, staring at him. "Is that why you're so upset? Because you lost the game?"_

_"Lost the game?" Vic repeated hollowly before letting out a bitter laugh, "Dinah, I'm upset because I never even had the chance to play."_

* * *

><p>Helena sighed as she stirred her cup of coffee, "So what time are you going to be home again?"<p>

"I don't know, probably not until tomorrow morning." Roger shrugged, taking a bite of his salted bagel. "It all depends on how quickly I get my paperwork done."

"Why don't you just do it at home?"

"Why are you so concerned ?"

_Because I'm afraid you're screwing some skank on the side, _"You're not home very much anymore, you know? I just think it would be nice for you to do some work from home and maybe spend a little more time with us. The kids hardly even see you anymore."

"I see them plenty."

"That's not what they think."

"Helen, you know I love them; that's why I'm working so much. I'm trying to give them a better future."

"Can't you do it from home?"

"Why do you care so much all the sudden? You've been acting strange ever since I got back from Mexico."

Helena narrowed her eyes, "Well how would you act if you found a used condom in my bag when I got home?"

"You're _still _going on about that?" Roger exclaimed, slamming his coffee cup on the table. "I told you I bought it for you as a gift! Why don't you believe me?"

"Because, Roger, when you buy someone something from a store it comes in a _bag _and it has _tags _on it. Maybe if you had a recite I could-"

"I already told you I threw the damn thing out! What the hell is with you? You find _one _thing that seems a little suspicious and I'm suddenly a man-whore who cheats on you with every slut on the street! Why can't you believe me?"

"I _want _to believe you!" Helena shouted, her temper rising. "I would _love _to trust you and think you're being honest with me. But it's kind of hard to trust you when every night you work until dawn and I find a goddamn thong in your suitcase!"

For a minute Roger was silent as he stared at her, "You're a hypocrite."

"What?"

"You have got to be the _biggest _hypocrite on the planet! You _lied _to me for almost fifteen _years_! You kept half of your life hidden from me every night and day! For fifteen years you looked me in the eyes almost every night and lied to me when I asked you where you got your newest bruises, scars, broken bone, whatever! I didn't know what to think but I let it slide because I _loved _you and respected you too much to pry! Do you think I was happy to find out my wife dresses like a hooker and beats the shit out of criminals every night? You think I like knowing you're in danger all the time and that you could be killed? You're known as the bitchiest, craziest, most violent vigilante in this damn city and you didn't tell me for fifteen _years_! All of that and I _still _love you, but you have the nerve to stand there and accuse _me _of being dishonest?"

"I didn't tell you to protect you! The more you know the more danger you're in! Now stop blaming this all on me for two seconds and just try to come home tonight."

"Why? I'm a cheating, lying asshole remember? What's the point of coming home when I'm not wanted?"

"I _do _want you! Why do you think this is bugging me so much?" Her gaze softened as she looked up at him, "Baby, I don't want to lose you."

"Then why do you keep accusing me of cheating?" He exploded, "Why would I go through all the hell I went through when you told me you were the Huntress just to throw it all away for some skank? Does that sound like me at all?"

"No." Helen admitted quietly, "No, it doesn't."

"Exactly, so _stop _accusing me and just _think_! I'm not cheating on you; I never have and I never will." He said loudly, grabbing his coat and flinging the door open. "I'll be back tomorrow at regular time. Goodbye."

Helena winced at the sound of the door slamming shut, burying her face in her hands. When had she become the crazy wife who was suspicions of every little thing her husband did?

Keeping half of her life from her family, particularly her husband who she was supposed to be completely honest with, had been hard. All those nights of changing out of her costume in the Clock Tower or Vic's place, countless family meals missed, so many important parts of her children's life she hadn't been there for...but it was for a reason. She didn't want her children to grow-up to become what she had, nor did she want them to beg her over and over to please let them be her side-kick.

The vigilante business changed you and took away all innocence you may have had.

But it was more than that. Huntress was known for her violent nature, open legs, and bitchy attitude. The things she did to scum, despite being necessary and easily justifiable, were often gruesome and made headlines quite often. Helen didn't want her family to see that part of her, and when she came home all things Huntress were pushed out of her mind. How could her three children all so young and innocent possibly be able to see their mother who kissed their cuts, made them lunch, and tucked them into bed every night as a woman like Huntress?

Helena refused to let her children know or do what she'd done.

However, Helena also knew giving up the mask wasn't an option. As long as gangs, rapists, murderers, and thieves terrorized Gotham there would be a Huntress watching over the night. She loved the pulse of adrenaline when her fist collided with a jaw, the sight of her arrow going exactly where she wanted it, seeing the world and making it better, and knowing that she was honoring her parents. The life of a vigilante was hard, but the results were more than worth it.

Pangs of regret when one of her sons touched a fresh cut on her face asking where his mommy got it and of she needed a kiss to make to better happened more often than not, but in the end she always came to the same conclusion. She needed to keep her life a secret, if only to protect her family.

Maybe Roger had been onto something when he said she only accused him out of guilt. Perhaps so many years of deception and lies had taken its toll, thus making her ready for him to go and hurt her right back.

Helena hoped to God that was it.

Her Roger was a good man; easily the best one she'd ever dated. So considerate and polite, not to mention hot as a tamale. When he questioned her over whatever new mark, bruise, or cut that had appeared on her, she knew he never believed the lies she told him. But he respected her rights of privacy and didn't press the issue.

Yes, it had to just be guilt.

No way would her husband put their marriage, family, and life together at risk for some whore. No way in hell.

Right?

* * *

><p>Vic typed away at his computer, grimacing as he felt another cough rise up from the back of his throat.<p>

Damn cold, it still hadn't completely gone away yet.

His lips curled into a small smile as he thought fondly of what his sickness had led to. Helena had come over to check-up on him, nursing him back to health despite his protests, and it ended up with them sharing a kiss in his bed.

The strange thing was he didn't flat-out hate having someone take care of him. In fact, he'd go as far as saying he tolerated it, perhaps even enjoyed it. Knowing someone cared about you left him with a puzzlingly warm feeling that seemed to have little to do with his fever. When Helena gently pressed her hand against his sweaty forehead and asked if he felt alright, her dark eyes staring at him in concern, there wasn't just a feeling of dread that he was doomed to his bed until he recovered. There was...relief, and the realization he was cared for.

How odd.

Naturally, kissing her had been nice to. He didn't quite remember it, much to his annoyance, but what he did recall had been wonderful. Sure it was an accident and Helena had chalked it up to his fever and an erotic dream, but her lips had still been pressed against his.

Unfortunately, Vic doubted she'd enjoyed it as much as he had.

_"It was nice, actually." Vic opined, avoiding eye contact as he felt color rise to his face._

_"Seriously? That was awful! Jesus, we gotta get you out more so you can figure out what a good kiss actually is."_

Ouch.

He tried not to let the remark bug him as much as it did; after all, he'd been half-asleep when it happened. When one who was drowsy and heavy with fever kissed a startled woman it made sense that the kiss wouldn't be anything special. In reality it had been more of an unanticipated banging of teeth than an actual kiss, but Vic wasn't picky. Besides, if the situation was ever to come up again he knew for certain he could kiss her far better than he had previously done.

Well...he sincerely hoped he could.

Vic didn't exactly have infinite experience when it came to sex and woman; he was no Bruce Wayne for certain. But there had been women he'd cared for, a few he'd lusted or loved for one night, and a handful he had loved, though not as much as Helen. He tried to think of his past partners and how they responded after kissing, touching, or doing whatever they'd been doing. Aside from a few comments about the state of his apartment or his babbling in bed, he'd never had that particular complaint.

Deciding to get his head out of the clouds and focus on the information he'd collected, Vic turned his attention back to his work. "Hurm, sales in onions have gone up, probably due to the encouragement of the Illuminati in Walmart commercials..."

After another hour or so of research on the sale of onions being used to help finance the Illuminati, Q quietly switched off his laptop and leaned back into the old chair he was seated in. His eyes burned as he stood up and stretched, his aching muscles begging to be used. Maybe he'd head out for patrol early today; after all, it was bad to have easily recognizable patterns.

The ring of the telephone in his kitchen brought him back to life as he headed towards the noise, checking to see who the caller was before picking it up and answering carefully, "Hello?"

_" Vic? It's Helena."_

"Oh, Hello." Vic answered awkwardly. He hated speaking to people over the phone. Not only did it make it harder for him to tell if the person he was conversing with was being honest or not, but it left his mind open to dangerous sound waves the telephone companies used to convince you to waste your money on the pointless method of communication known as 'texting'.

_"I kind of need a favor from you. Nothing big, just a little snooping to ease my mind."_

Interesting. "Hurm, what is it?"

_"Well, I was going to just have Batman look into it but it's to personal and I couldn't stand to see his face if it was true."_

"If what's true?"

_Silence, "...I think Roger might be seeing someone else." _Helena whispered over the line, the pain evident in her voice, _"I don't have any proof, but I found a thong in his suitcase. He said it was a present for me, but that doesn't make sense! I mean there was no bag or tags on it or..."_

"Or what?"

_"Nothing. I-I just need to know, you know? I _want _it to be guilt or my imagination, but if it's not..."_

"Ah, I see. What do you need me to do?"

_"Come with me tomorrow and do a stakeout. You're a better detective than me and I don't want to miss something."_

"Alright," A pause, "Helena...do you really think he's cheating?"

_"...I don't know, Vic, but I need to. Promise you'll come with me? Not just as a detective, but you know..."_

"As a friend?"

_"I didn't want to say it, it sounded to emotional." _Helena admitted with a faint laugh, _"Will you come?"_

"I suppose. If another woman is involved you'll need someone to hold you back from butchering them both." Vic mused.

_"Good." _Helena sighed in relief, _"I hope I've just been hanging around you to long and your stupid paranoia is just wearing off on me."_

"I can't help that I'm contagious." Vic shrugged, "Helena...if he is, what are you going to do."

_"...I don't know, Q." _She whispered, _"Just pray to God he's not. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"_

"Alright. Goodnight, Helena."

_"Bye, Q."_

Vic silently hung-up the phone, thinking of Helena sitting alone in her home and going crazy with worry over a possibly unfaithful husband. He could almost picture her fiddling with her crossbow like she always did when she was nervous, running her finger over the string and fiddling with the trigger.

At that moment it didn't matter how he felt; Vic had come to terms long ago with the fact Helena would probably never think of him as more than a friend. He simply wanted his love to be happy.

And if Roger was seeing another woman, he'd do nothing to hold Helena back from releasing her fury.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Again, sorry for the wait. But I made this chapter a little longer just to make it up to you:)**

**A/N R&R please!**


	12. Fix Me

**A/N I own nothing. All characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews:) **

* * *

><p><em>"Fix me."<em>

_"Excuse me?" J'onn asked, typing away at the monitor._

_"Fix me." The man repeated, "Please."_

_J'onn looked up at the man in front of him curiously, his orange eyes taking in a blue fedora, trench coat, and the biggest give-away of all a head with no face. "I am sorry, I do not quite understand what you are asking me to do."_

_"Fix me." Question repeated once more._

_"I was not aware you are broken." J'onn frowned._

_"I-I'm not _literally_, but I need you to fix me!"_

_"I do not understand what I am being asked to do, Question. Could you explain?"_

_"Like you fixed Wildcat, you cured him. Do that to me."_

_"Do you have an addiction with fighting as well?" The Martian Manhunter inquired._

_"Yes, but that isn't why I'm here."_

_"Then what do you need to be cured from?"_

_Question was silent for a long time before sighing and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a can of aerosol and spraying it onto his face. The sound of the mask being pulled from his skin echoed around the room as J'onn stared at the miserable face of Vic Sage, "A horrible curse I've allowed myself to be under for far too long."_

_"You are...possessed?" J'onn asked, "By whom?"_

_"Not necessarily possessed, more like...entranced." Vic explained uncomfortably, fidgeting in his seat._

_"I see. Who is it affecting you?"_

_"...Huntress." Vic admitted quietly, hanging his head down low in shame._

_"I was not aware Huntress had abilities beyond fighting and weapons. How long has she possessed paranormal powers?" J'onn inquired._

_"She doesn't." Vic said quickly, "Please stop asking questions and just cure me!"_

_"But I do not... Perhaps if you allowed me to go inside your mind I could." J'onn suggested._

_"Unacceptable!" Growled Vic, "Don't let anyone into my mind at all. My mind's where I'm safe and alone, not letting you violate me and take away my privacy."_

_"Question, if you did not trust me then why did you remove your mask when you entered my station?"_

_"I took off my mask?" Q yelped, his hand flying towards his un-masked face. The man let out a groan and slumped further down into his chair, "Perfect, fucking perfect."_

_J'onn was taken aback by the man's mannerisms. He did not know the protector of the Hub as well as say, Wally, but he knew him enough to know this was not normal behavior. The Question was a rather quiet hero, Conspiracy talk aside, one who often avoided contact, avoided talking to be people in general, and never, ever removed his mask._

_"Question, are you alright?"_

_The Question stood up and began to pace around the room, muttering under his breath, "Can't take it anymore, want it- need it-, need it so bad. Can't stop thinking of her with him, what they're doing, should be me doing it instead. Watched them as they did it, everyone clapped when they kissed. Wouldn't-wouldn't even look at me. Felt nothing when we danced. Want her to be happy, feel so miserable..."_

_"Question!" J'onn said loudly, calling the man back to Earth._

_"What?" The man turned around quickly, startled out of his trance._

_J'onn studied the man for a moment, feeling the aura of desperation and sadness around him, "You are sure you do not wish for me to help you?"_

_"Need you to help me, J'onn. Just don't want to risk my mind for it."_

_"The only way for me to do this is to go inside your mind." J'onn explained, "Question, let me help you. You and I both know you need it, otherwise you would not have came here asking for help."_

_"I-I..."_

_"Sit down and relax your mind, open it to me."_

_"Y-You swear you won't read anything to private or brainwash me or-"_

_"I will do no such thing." J'onn promised,_ _"Now, be calm."_

_Vic gave a light nod and unhappily parked himself on the metal chair in front of J'onn. "Calm? I'm allowing a telepath into my mind and you want me to be _calm_?"_

_"Please, try to relax." J'onn muttered, placing his hands on the man's head. He frowned as he entered Vic's chaotic mind, trying to de-jumble the random information in his mind. Sorting out thoughts, facts, and ideas out of Vic was near impossible in the havoc of his mind, but soon he found what he was looking for._

_The lovely face of an un-masked Helena Bertinelli greeted the Martian Manhunter as he probed Vic's mind. Along with her beautiful face came a load of emotions J'onn hadn't expected from such a Zen-like man. Lust, envy, pain, jealousy, betrayal, loneliness, and such endless sadness._

_Vic opened his eyes and stared at J'onn, "Please...make it stop. Don't want to feel this way. Just...need to be myself again."_

_J'onn nodded absently, still in slight shock by the heaviness of the emotions. Pain, such pain when they wed, adoration, love, confusion, neglect, anger, "They married this afternoon?"_

_"Yes, it-it was horrible." Vic admitted, "Can't feel this way anymore. She chose who she wanted and it...it was him."_

_"I do not think I can 'cure' you of your emotions concerning Huntress." J'onn began slowly, "It is not a disease, it is a privilege. Love should not be shunned."_

_"Easy for you to say." Vic snarled, "Don't you get it? I can't have her, I'll never be able to! Don't want to live my life wishing for her, I want to at least try to find somebody to put up with me!"_

_"I see. Question, I believe the only way I can 'cure' you is to remove your memories of your affections towards her. Also, as a consequence you would most likely not be able to continue being acquaintances."_

_Vic stared at him, "What?"_

_"Spending time with Huntress would simply trigger your emotions once more." J'onn explained, "Even if I could cleanse you of such strong emotions you would not be able to remain in contact with her."_

_"So what you're saying is I can be miserable and alone but still call her a friend, or I can go back to the way it was before we met and never see her again?" Q rasped, "Can't you just make me stop?"_

_"It is not in my abilities to do so, nor do I wish it was. I am truly sorry."_

_Question was silent for what seemed like an eternity. "Thank you for wasting my time." He growled, standing up and sealing on his mask, "Trying to be helped is pointless, never should have done it."_

_"Question, I... Where will you go? What will you do?"_

_"Don't know." Q gritted out, "Want a drink, probably go to the tavern. Try to distract myself for a little while. Maybe meet somebody."_

_J'onn didn't chide him for wanting to do something like that. After all, the best way to get over old love was to find new love._

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?"<p>

Helena finished pulling on her glove before answering, "Yes."

Question looked her over her doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

"We're going to go spy on my husband to see if he's cheating on me." Helena frowned, "What do you think?"

"I think that was a rather pointless question."

"No shit."

"Do I owe you an apology?"

"No." Helen sighed, "No, you don't. I know I'm acting like a bitch, but-"

"It's okay, Helen. You have every right to."

She nodded slightly, "Now that we have that out the way, let's go."

* * *

><p>The masked pair quietly hopped over the side of a LexCorp building, their feet silently connecting with the cement.<p>

"Hurm, not used to doing this during the day." Question remarked.

"Neither am I." Huntress admitted, "But how different can it really be?"

"Well," Q began as he sat down and pulled a pair of binoculars out from his coat pocket, "For one thing it's about twenty degrees hotter."

"That's what you get for wearing twenty layers of clothing." Helen shrugged.

"Hmph, well I apologize for having my underwear underneath my clothes unlike most of the population in this business."

Helena felt an involuntary grin flicker across her face. She was glad she brought Vic along, and not just because it meant she wouldn't have to do all the spying herself.

Q wasn't like any other vigilante- much less person- she'd ever met. He wore a simple suit instead of the skin-tight latex most avengers tended to wear, instead of using a mask to hide his identity he scrapped the entire process and went without a face, refused to be associated with anything supposedly tainted by the Illuminati, and was more or less the laughing stock of the entire League.

So, naturally, Helena had become good friends with the man.

_Makes sense, I guess. _Helen inwardly mused, _I always attract the crazies._

The form of a dark-haired man in a good Italian suit getting out of a car jolted Helen out of her thoughts, "There."

"I see him."

Huntress watched him enter his work building suspiciously, as though at any second a skinny blond with her fake breasts falling out of her shirt might run out and jump him right there in front of everyone.

She watched him stretch out his arms and roll his neck as he sat down in his office chair. Leaning back in the seat, Roger turned on his computer and began to type.

Something warm landed on her shoulder, and out of impulse she smacked it away with her hand.

"Ouch!" Cried Vic, cradling his hand, "Jesus, I just wanted to get your attention! Damn it, Helen!"

"Shit, oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Huntress gasped, watching the man clutch his hand in agony, "Are you okay?"

"Peachy." He growled, rubbing his hand, "Just wanted to remind you to relax, most of staking out something is waiting."

As the hours trickled by, Helena had to admit he was right. Watching her husband do whatever he normally did when he thought no one was looking had been amusing at first, but after several hours of doing nothing but stalking the man she shared a bed with she was growing tired.

The hot sun beat down on her head mercilessly as they sat on the roof together in silence, neither of them quite knowing what to talk about given the circumstances. Soon the sound of a low growl echoed through the rooftop.

Helena grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, I would've eaten more before we left but I was too nervous."

"Understandable." Vic nodded, "Do you want me to go get you anything?"

"Like what?"

"There's a McDonald's down the street, I could grab us both some lunch while you stay here and stake it out."

"You...want _McDonald's_?" Huntress blinked, "Seriously?"

"I could go for a Big Mac,." Vic shrugged, "Why? What's so strange about it?"

"You're kidding me, right? _You _like _McDonald's_? Of all the people on the planet _you _seriously like it?"

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Seriously? You bitch and lecture everyone on the dangers of Target, Burger King, freak'n shoelaces, and Girl Scout cookies but you eat at _McDonald's_? If there's a real corporation of evil on the planet it's them! They brainwash little kids with toys to get them to buy their food and make everyone fat, even I know that!"

"Do you want it or not?" Vic scowled.

"Get me a McRib." Helena sighed in defeat, "And-"

"A large fry, extra sauce, and a coke, but not the diet kind, I know." Vic finished for her, standing up and cracking his back, "I should be back in twenty minutes."

"You want me to pay for it?"

"No, I think I'll manage. Even I'm not broke enough to not be able to afford McDonald's."

Helena chuckled to herself as Q walked off before turning her attention back to Roger's work office. So far there had been nothing suspicious aside from eating an unhealthy amount of Twix bars, and only the sinking feeling of possibly seeing him screw the secretary on his desk was keeping her awake.

Helen allowed herself to think about what would happen if Roger truly was seeing another woman. The faces of her three children all flashed before her before anything else, not that she expected any different. Her oldest son Charlie, her second son Christopher, her youngest child and only girl Nichole, all devastated over the family's betrayal. How could she raise her children without their father? How could she possibly balance two full-time jobs and a family on her own?

Then, of course, there would be her own devastation as well. Just the mere thought of some skank putting her hands all over Roger shot a primal rush of anger through Helena so strong she wanted to punch a wall. Not to mention it made her want to rip off his balls and squash them with her leather boots. She thought of her man so kind, funny, and charming and couldn't imagine him loving another woman, nor could she ever see herself with another man.

When she said her vows to Roger she'd had every intention of keeping them no matter what, and she wasn't going to change the way she felt now.

A new figure in Roger's office suddenly caught her attention, a figure with feminine curves.

A tall blond in outrageously high heels she could barely walk in sauntered over towards Roger's desk, lifting up her chin lightly. Helena instantly recognized her as Roger's twenty-something secretary, a woman she hadn't liked from the second she'd laid eyes on her.

Implanted breasts practically falling out of her scandalously low-cut shirt and even smaller mini-skirt, the lean blond perched herself on her husband's desk, crossing her legs seductively and beginning to speak. Helena watched with growing dread as the little tramp suddenly spread her legs apart, leaning her body back and jutting out her chest.

Roger didn't even look up from his papers, just opened his mouth and began talking. Helena squinted to try to make out what they were saying;

_''Why hello, Elise. What can I do for you today?''_

The blond made a face that seemed to be attempting something seductive, _''I can think of a few things...''_

_''If we've been over this once we've been over it a thousand times, Elise. I'm happily married to my wife and have no honest interest in what you're implying.''_

Helena felt satisfaction flood through her as she loosened her grip on her crossbow. Good, this was all very good news.

_''Even though I must admit you are highly attractive-''_

Huntress instantly tightened her grip on the trigger. This, on the other hand, was not very good news.

_''But I simply refuse to give in.'' _Roger sighed, '_'As fun as it would be, I can't bring myself to do it.''_

"Hey, I got you your-"

"SHH!" Helena hissed at Vic who had returned bearing a white bag giving off a heavenly aroma of grease and fries.

The redhead winced behind his mask, what was her problem? He'd just blown twenty dollars he didn't quite have to buy her lunch and _this _was how she repaved him? Quickly, he grabbed a pair of binoculars and turned his attention back to the office building to see what had happened since he'd been gone.

The sight of a particularly sexy young woman on a desk trying to seduce Roger greeted him before he whirled back to see Helena's face. At the particularly smug expression she wore he cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Watch."

Q saw the woman be shooed off by Roger, hopping off his desk with a pout on her face. She called something he couldn't quite make out to him, but it looked suspiciously like 'Call me!'.

Helen turned to face him, a smile of relief written all over her face, "I guess I'm crazy after all. Turns out he isn't cheating."

"Good." Vic nodded, genuinely relieved. Although he did want Helena, this wasn't the way he wanted it to happen. "Do you still want your McRib?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! But I'm going to take it to go, don't want the kids coming home to an empty house, you know." Helena grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck in a grateful hug and kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you."

"Ah, well, er, just a sandwich." Vic stuttered, thankful the mask could hide his blush.

"Not for _that_, for _helping _me." She clarified, taking the bag from his hand, "You've been such a doll through all this; I'm sorry I made you take a day off for nothing."

"It wasn't 'nothing', it was you." Vic shrugged, "You're welcome."

"Come by for dinner tomorrow night, okay?" Before he could protest, she added, "It's mandatory, so you're not getting out of it. If you're not there then I'm going to hunt you down and feed you to Joker's hyenas, got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Vic smiled under his mask, tipping his hat to her, "I'm going to hang around a little longer, there's something odd about the paint here..."

Helena rolled her eyes before flashing him one last grateful smile and darting to another rooftop. Vic watched her go for a few moments before turning his attention back to Roger's office. Something about it felt wrong, he couldn't quite place it but there was the feeling more was left to be discovered.

Vic intended to find whatever it was out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN FYI, I didn't invent the whole concept of Vic liking McDonald's, it's in like ten other fics. I want to sat it was Lady Jaye1 but I honestly have no idea.**

**A/N Read and Review!**


	13. Meeting With The Devil

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all so much for all the feedback you've given me:)**

* * *

><p><em>Vic took another sip of the cold beer in his hands as he looked around the bar he was seated in.<em>

_There were a good fifteen other people crowding the establishment, but in a bar this small that was a fairly impressive amount. He supposed he could have gone to a larger and more social tavern, but the only other one in town that was a respectable size was in league with the Illuminati. _

_Besides, he wasn't quite sure he even wanted to be surrounded by a mob of people. Vic wasn't to social by nature and was happy being that way, but tonight he had promised himself he'd at least make an effort to talk to someone. _

_There was no other way to put it; he was hurting. Watching Helena promise to love that man and stand by his side until death had been hard on him. But as hard as it was he'd still managed to bear it, a feat he was proud to accomplish. No matter what fresh hell life threw at him, Charles Victor Szazs could take it without breaking._

_Even if a little part of him died in doing so. _

_A light smile crossed his face as he observed the crowd he was surrounded by. Though a strong majority of the citizens in Hub City were criminals, prostitutes, and junkies by nature, they were still fun and interesting to observe nonetheless. _

_He watched a hefty blond woman coated in tattoos attempt to seduce a scrawny man twenty years her junior and couldn't help but feel slightly surprised when it worked before turning his gaze back to his drink._

_Vic sighed as he stared at his now empty mug. This city and its people, no matter how fun to watch, disgusted him. Hub City had earned the nickname Helltown fair and square, and in a city that made Blud Haven blush and Gotham seem like a playground one man's attempts to clean it up did little good._

_No matter how many nights he spent beating the snot out of criminals, chasing leads on gangs, or investigating the Illuminati, it never got any better. The city was falling deeper into Hell than it already was and no matter how hard he tried deep down Vic knew he couldn't save it._

_Why he fought so hard he didn't know. He had no real reason to, but yet he still carried on. Despite Vic's uncanny ability to answer questions that left others heads spinning, it was the most important ones he had no answer too. Where did he come from? Who was his family? Why did he protect this damned city? Who _was _Charles Victor Szazs?_

_But that was the question._

_"Is this seat taken?" _

_He turned to face the voice that had asked him and found himself staring at a blond, blue-eyed woman who Vic was positive wore contacts. He took in the mini-skirt, pumps, obviously fake breasts, tube-top, and twenty pounds of make-up the woman was covered in. Great, a prostitute was just what he needed, "Yes."_

_"For who?"_

_"Anyone but you." So much for being social, "Go away."_

_The woman pouted her crimson lips, "Why?" Vic tensed as she placed her hands on his back, "When I see such an attractive man all alone at a bar I want to get to know him a little better."_

_"Take your hands off of me." _

_"I don't think I will." She smiled, "In fact, I want to put them all over you..." Her hand trailed down towards his inner thigh, "Especially here..."_

_Vic was up in a flash, grabbing the woman's arm and pining her against the table, "Mm, so you like it rough." She giggled, "I knew you were gonna be that kind."_

_Q glared at her as he released her from his grip, "Go away." _

_"You're so tense, baby doll, why don't you let me help you get rid of all that bad tension and make you feel so good?" _

_Vic felt anger rise from deep within him; that was what Helena called her damn boy-toy. He could almost see her in his mind lightly touch Roger's arm as she purred it adoringly, "Don't call me that." _

_"It's okay, Sugar, I'm fine with screaming something else. " And you can call me anything you'd like." _

_"I'd like to call the police." He muttered, "Now leave."_

_"But baby, I can make it worth your while!" She exclaimed, moving closer to him, "I'll do whatever you want me to do, and all you have to do is pay me-"_

_"I am not paying some prostitute to sleep with me." Vic scowled._

_"Such a dirty term, big man, but then again I'm a very dirty girl..."_

_"How about this?" Vic asked, reaching into his wallet, "I'll pay you ten dollars if you go away from me."_

_"Are you serious?" The woman blinked, "Honey, ten dollars and you can have my mouth all over you, especially where I know you want it the most..."_

_"Take the money," Vic growled, slamming it into her hand, "And leave me the hell alone." _

_The hooker stared at the ten dollars, then back at Vic, "What, are you gay or something?"_

_"Utterly flamboyant." Vic lied, "So unless you've got something dangling between your legs I suggest you leave."_

_"Fag." She muttered under her breath as she turned her attention to a muscular man decked in leather in the far corner, "Hey Mr. Biker-man, do I have an offer for you..."_

_Vic swore under his breath and turned his attention back to his drink. Only when he lifted the mug to his lips was he reminded once more it was empty. He sighed as his luck, "One more round, please."_

_The bartender chuckled under his breath as he poured Vic his drink, "Why do I get the feeling this ain't gonna be the last one you have tonight?"_

_Vic glanced up from his drink and looked the man straight in the eye, "Because we both know it's true."_

* * *

><p>Q was getting tired of this.<p>

After aimlessly waiting for something to happen for the past six hours, he was beginning to wonder if his hunch was wrong. So far he'd been here all day and night and nothing, not even a suspicious phone call. Of course in the grand scheme of things a time period of that length was a mere blink of an eye, but at the moment it seemed more like an eternity.

He couldn't even use the time to mentally review his newest theory or contemplate on the state of his city without using attention necessary for a stake-out. Doing so could jeopardize the entire mission if he was to zone out for even a few minutes, and he'd invested so much damn time on this throwing away all his hard work was rather pointless.

Vic's curiosity was once more piped when a sudden burst of activity over-took Roger's office. He stood up and quickly grabbed the binoculars, his adrenaline replacing his growing sense of boredom as the office was suddenly flooded with a large crowd of people and commotion.

Tensing, he studied the group with a growing sense of curiosity. Were they all suddenly overcome with madness? Had the Illuminati finally gotten to them? Perhaps they had been agents all along...

The crowd gathered around a large box being placed on Roger's desk eagerly. Vic could only guess what mysterious object lay within it; they all seemed to act as though it contained the answer to life. Vic braced himself as they lifted the object out of the box...

...Only to realize it contained cartons of Chinese food.

This day was slowly making him crazier.

He was truly beginning to miss Helen's company, particularly on such a brain-shatteringly boring stake-out such as this. Although a stunningly beautiful Helena dressed in tight, revealing leather probably wouldn't have done very much to help his dwindling attention span...

Cursing under his breath about the amount of time he was wasting he once again sat down on the cooling rooftop giving a silent prayer of thanks it had descended into nighttime and thus cooled the roof off. Physically now that the sun had set it was far easier to keep watch, but mentally the dwindling city light had made it harder.

He checked his watch for the umpteenth time and decided it was probably time to pack it in. After all, he'd been observing Roger in his workplace for almost seventeen hours now with nothing to back-up his suspicions; maybe he'd simply been hoping deep down Roger was involved so that he could finally have a chance with Helena. The thought made him feel ashamed; on the other hand, a bigger part of him did hope this entire thing was no more than paranoia.

Keeping that last thought in mind he prepared to climb down the roof and head home, only to see Roger stand up from his desk and begin to collect his things. Curiosity once again swelled up from deep within him and before he knew it he was on the ground waiting for Roger to exit the building so he could follow him.

Vic watched as Roger exited the building and headed towards his car. Keeping his head down low in an attempt to be unseen Vic slipped into his own car as silently as possible. He kept the headlights turned off so as not to be spotted as he trailed the other mans' car in the Gotham night.

After twenty minutes or so of stalking Roger, Vic was beginning to wonder why he was even bothering to do so. The man wasn't acting any stranger than he usually did and there was an entire city of criminals that needed protecting tonight. But even with those thoughts in mind, Vic continued to follow him.

It didn't take Question very long to notice Roger wasn't heading in the direction of Helena's home, but rather turned towards one of the darker burrows of Gotham. _Hurm, _mused Vic, _interesting._

As they entered East Gotham the deterioration became more and more noticeable. While all of Gotham was a bit trashy to begin with, there were at least a few nice areas and safe neighborhoods. This, on the other hand, was not one of those cozy little suburban towns.

When they finally reached the Suicide Slums Q was forced to admit something odd was going on. Roger had told Helena he couldn't come home tonight because he had an important meeting with his boss, but why would the meeting be held here? More importantly what business did a wealthy, well-dressed, upper-class man like Roger Munroe have here? This was hardly the place for someone like him.

Something was going on here.

Roger's car finally came to a stop outside of an impressively large home that seemed uncharacteristically well-kept and pleasant for such a dangerous neighborhood. Vic quietly parked his blue car behind a large Van to keep hidden as he observed Roger stepping out of the car and stretching his back.

Q leaped out of his own vehicle, his feet silently colliding with the pavement as he ducked behind a garbage can. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as two men dressed in fine Italian suits emerged from the house greeting Roger happily with open arms.

What the hell was going on here?

* * *

><p>Roger stepped out of his Ferrari and looked around the disgusting neighborhood he was in.<p>

He could practically hear the sound of women begging their boyfriends not to kill them when they were caught in bed with another man, junkies scurrying around like rats as they tried to find a way to achieve their next high, and the homeless begging for money.

Places like these disgusted him.

But coming here was necessary for the sake of his job, and more importantly his life. Not that this was anything he didn't know before he got into this entire business, he'd just never really considered the extent of the disgusting places he would have to go to for meetings.

"Hey, Munroe! You're late!"

Roger turned to where the voice was coming from and broke out into a smile of relief when he caught sight of his two associates. He wasn't naive enough to call them friends; in this business there were none, "Actually, I'm right on time."

"Not according to my watch." Scowled one of the men, Tony, as he double checked the Rolex on his wrist.

The man next to him, Raymond, waved them both off, "It don't matter, let's just get in there before the boss looses his cool."

"I don't think I've ever seen the boss when he _hasn't _lost his cool." Tony snorted.

"You idiot!" Raymond scoffed, smacking him on the head, "You wanna say that a little louder so we all get screwed?"

"But don't we all wanna be screwed, Raymond?"

"Not by the boss we don't." Frowned Roger as he watched the two men squabble back and forth. The resemblance they bore with Twiddle-Dee and Twiddle-Dumb was outstanding, "I personally would rather be thoroughly screwed by one of the lovely ladies at our meetings."

The comment earned a round of laughter in agreement from the other men as the trio walked inside the lavishly decorated house their meeting was to be at. Roger looked over the miniature mansion in slight awe of how well furnished it was compared to the rest of the neighborhood, "Doesn't he know this is a prime target for thieves?"

"Don't you know he has some of the best damn security money can buy here?" Raymond shot back, "Besides, everyone knows you don't fuck with the boss and get away with it."

Ah, that explained it. In the world they lived on there wasn't a problem out there money or fear couldn't solve. Though in retrospect, money and fear were also the cause of almost all the problems in the world.

"Hello Gentlemen." Purred a new, distinctively female voice, "How are you tonight?"

Roger felt his lips curl into a smile at the sound of it, "Can't complain, Angelica. How's the boss tonight?"

"Bossy." Pouted Angelica, "He won't give me or my sister a break."

"Poor little slut." Raymond frowned, unfazed, "What do you expect when you're both fucking with the man; he starts to own you more than he did before."

"_I _don't fuck him; Angelina does." Angelica corrected.

"True, you fuck old Roger-boy over here." Laughed Tony, "Lucky bastard gets a sexy wife and a busty sex-toy."

Angelica flipped the man off as she brushed a stray lock of mocha hair out of her face, "It's not my fault you didn't ask me to be yours first."

"'Cause I prefer a broad who keeps her STD's to herself." Tony smirked, "Now come on, the boss is waiting for us."

Nodding, Roger took Angelica by the arm and gestured for the rest of the group to follow. A light hint of remorse trickled through his mind as Helena's face flashed before his eyes, but he quickly dismissed it. What went on between him and Angelica was strictly sex, no emotions involved.

Roger did love Helena, but new sex was exciting and hard to pass up. Besides, having two jobs that required 100% of a person's time required an excessive need for relief from stress. And where was Helena when he needed it? Swinging from rooftops decked in leather trying to 'save' people and be a 'superhero'. The fact that she had done it for fifteen _years _without him knowing sent fury and betrayal shooting through his veins at the speed of light. Marriage was about being open and he always had been, but her stabbing him in the back like that had made him wonder just how truthful his wife really was.

"I expect to see you in my office tomorrow night dressed for me." He whispered into Angelica's ear as they entered the room where the meeting was to be held.

"Alright, but what should I wear?" She asked mischievously.

"That little black nightgown with the fishnets; you look absolutely delicious in it." He replied with a light growl, squeezing her rear teasingly, "And those wonderful toys you like so very much. Particularly the whip…"

"Roger!" Angelica scolded with a giggle.

"You two make me sick." Muttered Raymond as he shot them a glare, "Now can it with the flirting and try to keep your pants on, got it? I don't wanna get whacked 'cause you two dopes were sexing up the room."

"He-he, I wouldn't mind too much." Tony smirked, "But only if I get to watch."

"_Quiet!_" Raymond hissed as he reached for the door handle, "Hey boss, can we come in?"

"Of course, gentlemen." The boss called from the other side of the room, "It seems I've been spending half of my life waiting for you to enter."

"Sorry about that." Raymond apologized, "Three shmucks of ours were dummy-ing it up."

"Hey, I resent that ya' Guido!" Tony barked.

"Guido? Why you little-"

_"SILENCE!" _The boss roared as the two men sat down, "Now, I expect you all to behave like civilized adults, understood?"

"Yes sir." Tony stuttered.

"Got it." Gulped Raymond.

"Hey, boss; why we here, anyways?" Tony frowned, "I thought we weren't supposed to have another little pow-wow 'til Thursday."

"We are here because of an associate of ours." The boss growled, "Mr. Munroe!"

"Yes?" Roger yelped, "What's the matter, boss? Did I do something wrong? Do you gotta job for me?"

"No, no, no! We are here to discuss something far more important than a simple whacking or misunderstanding, Mr. Muroe."

"Then what are we here for?" Roger choked out in fear.

"We are here," Mandragora smiled wickedly, "About your wife."

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><p><strong>AN You like, you give good review. You no like and give bad review, I whack you. Capiche? **


	14. Love Rekindled

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, feel free to keep them coming:)**

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><p><em>A killer headache accompanied by an awful ache in his stomach greeted Vic as he awoke.<em>

_He tiredly blinked his eyes open as he stretched out on the bed he was in, taking in his surroundings. This wasn't his bedroom, hell this wasn't even his home, but it did look oddly familiar..._

_"So the beast awakens from his slumber."_

_Vic turned towards the voice in surprise, "Myra?"_

_The dark-haired woman laughed, "You sound so surprised, Vic. Who were you hoping to wake up next to?"_

_"No one." He replied quickly. Last night he'd promised himself he'd stop thinking about Helena and that was a promise he didn't intend to break, "God, my head feels like it's going to explode..."_

_"It's a wonder why." His ex grinned, "Do you have any idea how drunk you were last night?"_

_"I was not drunk!"_

_"You were behind the bar punching a brick wall and shouting that you had to get to Diagon Alley."_

_Vic groaned and dropped his face into his hands, "Ugh, anything else happen that I should know about?"_

_A light smile played at her lips as she walked across the small bedroom and towards Vic, "I'll give you a hint; you're naked in my bed, and aside from this robe, so am I. You're the big detective here, Vic, figure it out."_

_"We had sex?" He couldn't help but feel a little surprised at the concept, even though it wasn't like they'd never been intimate before. He and Myra had quite a lot of history together as friends and lovers. The years they were close were filled with memories of sneaking into hotels at night to make love without being caught by her husband, trying to straighten out the corruption in Helltown, and sharing coffee at work._

_To have a romantic relationship with Myra was difficult; when they first began dating it hadn't been, but after he became the Question and returned Myra had married the town's drunken mayor. It didn't take too long for an affair to blossom, but they had ended it years ago, or so he thought, "Sorry if I sound shocked, just never expected us to end up like this again."_

_"I know how you feel." She admitted as she sat down next to him on her small bed, "Hey, Vic?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Who's Helena?"_

_His body tensed up at the mention of her name, "What do you mean?"_

_"I mean who is she? Are you guys...together?"_

_"...No." Vic admitted quietly, "No, we are not."_

_Myra looked at him sympathetically and took his hand in hers, "Did you two just break-up?"_

_Q let out a bitter laugh, "Hardly, we were never even together."_

_Myra shot him a look, "So are you just going to sit there and give me vague answers while you beat around the bush or actually answer my question?"_

_"Only if you answer mine." Vic bargained, "Where did you hear that name?"_

_"...You called me Helena last night while we were in bed together." She admitted quietly, "I was a little tipsy myself so it didn't really bother me, but I would like to know who she is."_

_Vic considered it for a moment. He'd known Myra for years and considered her a good friend and confidante, but he hadn't actually told anyone how he felt about Helena. He knew Myra would be kind and try to understand simply because that was the type of woman Myra Fermin was; a woman he had at once time been bursting with pride to call her his when they were alone together. He trusted her (well, as much as he ever trusted anyone), "She's...a woman."_

_"That much I gathered. Who is she?"_

_"A friend of mine." Vic said softly, "A very, very good friend."_

_"Oh." She murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder, "...Did she die?"_

_"What? No, of course not!" Q exclaimed, horrified at the thought, "Yesterday she...she got married."_

_"So? Shouldn't you be happy?" She studied the face she knew so very well, puzzled by what he meant, "I don't get it, why-oh!" Suddenly everything clicked; calling out her name in bed, his face when she suggested she'd died, the aura of depression around him when he admitted she'd just gotten married... "Wait, do you like her?"_

_"It's more than that; I-I love her." Vic admitted quietly, "I love her and I hate myself for doing it. She was supposed to be mine, dammit, but she married him."_

_"Hey, that didn't stop you from having me." Myra tried, "Remember that little hotel we used to meet at to make love?"_

_"Your husband was a drunken, abusive idiot who you regretted marrying but stayed with to watch the city." Vic frowned, "Her husband is a wealthy, sober man who she loves to death. She...She never even thought about me the way I wanted her to."_

_Myra's heart tore when she saw the look on his face. Vic was a tough man hardened by years of patrolling the most dangerous city in America; seeing him so distraught hurt her, "Well, maybe something good did come out of this." She murmured, sitting behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck, "After all, you did get laid."_

_Q was startled into a laugh of surprise, "Since when do you use terms such as 'get laid'?"_

_"Since I discovered Google and learned what they meant." She grinned, nuzzling his cheek, "Do...Do you want to grab a cup of coffee or something?"_

_Vic considered it; he wanted to get over Helena, that much he knew. Out of every woman he had ever met Myra was definitely one of the better ones. Besides, she already knew him well enough that they could skip the awkwardness of the first few dates, "...Yes, I would like that very much."_

_"Really?"_

_"Of course." He grinned, remembering how happy they were together. Maybe he could have some more of that happiness, "Like I said; she's married. I just want to get over her, and...and I missed you, Myra, I missed you a lot."_

_"I missed you too, Vic." She admitted with a hint of blush on her cheeks, "So, do you want to go straight away or hang out here some more and re-live all those nights we had together?"_

_A smile crossed his lips as he gently pushed her on the bed, climbing on top of her. Never again would he be lonely and pray to God Helena would give him a chance, no more wanting to kiss her whenever he saw her, and no more being miserable._

_Well...at least he hoped._

* * *

><p>"What do you mean we have to talk about Helena?" Roger frowned, "What did she do?"<p>

"Aside from being the only witness to the murder of Franco and Maria Bertinelli and preventing me from reaching my goal to assassinate the entire bloodline, I am concerned about the safety of my organization." Mandragora replied, "You see by having one of my top men living with the Huntress means the threat of our information being linked to her is constantly present. Therefore, there are no benefits that come from allowing her to live."

"So we kill the bitch?" Angelica grinned, "Fabulous."

Roger tugged his tie uncomfortably and turned towards Manragora, "Well, you don't know that."

"Hey bozo, that ain't the brightest thing to say." Hissed Tony.

"I am being logical, Mr. Munroe. While your wife lives she is a constant threat to my organization and everything I have worked for."

"But-But..." He searched his mind in a vain attempt to come up with a reason to allow Helena to live, "If you kill her there will be an investigation where they search me and they could uncover information about our work."

"Who cares?" Angelica frowned dismissively, "We've gotten away with worse."

"He does make a point." Mandragora admitted, "Any investigation on any member should be avoided at all costs."

"Yeah, I don't want my ass gett'n busted by no cops." Raymond piped up.

"That goes double for me." Added Tony.

"But don't you think getting rid of the Huntress would solve more problems than it would create?" Angelica prompted, "Aside from the fact the woman's a bitch we'd also be getting rid of the most ruthless vigilante in Gotham."

"She got ya' there, Boss." Raymond agreed, "Besides, if we knocked off Huntress think about how much love we'd get from the underworld."

"Also true." Mandragora murmured, "Mr. Munroe, do you see why it is all the more logical for us to kill your wife?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"But what?" Snapped Angelica, "Do you not sit around and complain about how devious and untrustworthy she is? You told me you can barely stand her."

Roger inwardly winced; that wasn't _exactly _true. He _did _love Helena, but he loved his job and money more. He knew he had taken a vow to stay with Helena until death do them part, but if the woman couldn't even tell him she was the Huntress then what trust did they have? Besides, with Angelica things were so much simpler. When he wanted sex, they had it, and then he could leave. There was no cuddling or sweet-talk, just wham-bam-thank you-ma'am and he was gone.

Of course there were downsides to having an affair with the lovely young woman. Aside from the risk of being caught and having Helena neuter him with her crossbow he had to worry about how long it he would continue to see her in secret, if Angelica would become envious and try to kill one of his family members, how this could affect his reputation, and whether Helena's family would kill him when they learned about it.

But truth to be told there wasn't really anything wrong with what he was doing. There was nothing emotional about him and Angelica; everything they did was strictly for sexual pleasure and nothing else. As great as the sex was with Helena no matter how much she tried to keep him pleased she simply did not compare to a young, strikingly gorgeous woman at the age of twenty-six.

As much as he cared about Helena, she didn't stand a chance.

* * *

><p>Vic stared at the scene in front of him completely speechless.<p>

After following Roger to the projects and evesdropping on his conversation The Question found himself absolutely stunned. He had seen things that would make a marine cry and countless horrors that left him stunned, but this...this was different.

This wasn't a grizzly murder or the scene of destruction, this was betrayal like he'd never imagined. It was bad enough Helena's suspicions about her husband having an affair were correct, but to have something like this be happening right under her nose without her knowledge was...awful.

He felt a his chest tighten as he pictured the look on Helena's face when she learned what was happening. Everything in her life was unfolding; her husband had been whoring himself around with a common tramp while financing their home, lives, and desires with money coming from the damn Mafia. He knew the last fact would be what would do her in, particularly when she learned Mandragora himself was still the root of all the evil in her life.

As Vic continued picturing it, anger began to replace his initial shock. What could Helena have possibly done for the universe to be so cruel to her? How could Roger just causually sit there with his mistress on his lap while casually chatting about killing Helena without feeling anything?

He felt his hands tremble in fury as they sat there and continued discussing it. How could anyone be so arrogant and cruel? Trying to calm himself down he once again becan to listen to the discussion.

* * *

><p>"I know I complain about my wife but that doesn't mean I want her dead." Roger sighed, "Even though she's not always honest, I do love her."<p>

"Humph!" Angelica frowned, crossing her arms and looking away.

"That might not have been the best thing to say." Tony muttered, "Now you got the slut _and_ the Boss mad."

"I am not a slut!" Spat Angelica.

"_Silence!" _Roared Mandragora, "I demand for you all to stop acting so insolent and behave! Mr. Munroe, give me one good reason to keep your wife alive."

Roger racked his mind for ideas, "...If you whack Helena her Godfather could see it as an attack and in retaliation could try to assassinate you. Do you honestly wish to start a war between the Five Families when we've managed to keep peace for so many years?"

"That is true." Mandragora conceded, "I have no wish to have another war between my associates and I; particularly one I almost certainly know I will lose."

"Exactly." Roger nodded, "So why kill someone who isn't even that much of a threat simply to have your organization and all of your hard work destroyed? Logically, it makes more sense to allow Helena to live."

"Who cares about logic? I'm in this for the thrills and the cash." Laughed Tony.

"I'm in it for the men." Added Angelica.

"Trust me, we know." Raymond muttered under his breath.

"Hey!"

"Please don't kill my wife, Mr. Mandragora." Roger suddenly pleaded, "She can be a bitch sometimes, but there's really no reason too. You said it yourself; killing Helena wouldn't accomplish anything but a war with the families. I've been doing this for years and she's still oblivious, Boss, what makes you think that all the sudden she would suddenly get suspicious and snoop around my stuff? Besides, everything work-related I got I keep hidden in a locker in the basement. No one knows it's there or the combination to open it. Trust me, you're safe."

"Is that so, Mr. Munroe?" Mandragora asked rhetorically, "Just how much are you willing to give in order to prove to me that my information and more importantly my money is safe?"

"Anything." Roger answered confidently, "I guarantee I'll never be found out."

"Are you willing to sacrifice your position in our little group and to a higher extent your job to prove it?"

"Absolutely."

"Very well. We shall see if your choice was proven foolish in the future." Mandragora concluded as he clapped his hands together, "Now, on an entirely different note have you scheduled the shipment of weapons I wanted, Mr. Rizzo?"

Roger tuned out Mandragora's voice as he began to think about the deal he had just made with his Boss. He was certain there was no way Helena would ever find out what he was doing or the information he had concerning his job and more importantly Mandragora.

After all, if she hadn't figured it all out yet then why would she now?

* * *

><p>"So I will see you tonight, yes?" Angelica asked hopefully.<p>

"No, not tonight." Roger replied absently as he packed up his belongings back into his briefcase, "I have to catch up on my _other _work and still get the reports Mandragora wants done by tomorrow night. I'm booked solid this week."

"This _week_?" Angelica gaped, "Ugh, you know my boyfriend never pulls this on me!"

"Then go spend some time with him while I get my work done." Roger suggested curtly.

"I can't, he's with his fiancé." Sighed Angelica sadly, "I think I'll give the cute guy from the bar a call. Ciao, Roger."

"Ciao." He called after her, _Jesus, I thought I was bad sleeping with two people. Angelica's got an entire list of people she screws. Better make sure to use the best damn condom I can find the next time we have sex; I don't need to catch a damn STD from my mistress._

As he quietly exited the grand mansion, he felt himself grimace as he was once again reminded of just how disgusting this neighborhood was. Gotham wasn't exactly famed for being clean or safe, but neighborhoods like this really weren't helping the cause.

Roger buried his hands deep into his pockets as he walked towards his car while hoping no one broke in and stole anything. He'd made sure to empty the BMW of anything remotely valuable, but that didn't mean no one had lifted the tires or simply took the entire car itself.

"_Slut."_

Roger whirled around to see who was speaking but saw no one, "What?"

_"Lying, cheating man-slut." _The voice continued, _"Betrayed her."_

"Who-Who's there?" Roger demanded, reaching for his gun, "Show yourself!"

_"Gladly."_

As the statement hung in mid-air, Roger felt someone grab him by the shoulder and spin him around. The man braced himself to fight his attacker only to come face to face with someone he hadn't been expecting, "Vic! You crazy son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Following you." Vic replied dressed in his Question gear. He stood up straight and somehow Roger knew he was glaring at him underneath that freaky faceless mask, "Followed you here from work to investigate."

"Investigate what?" Roger yelped, "What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just randomly stalk people, Vic! I don't care how sweet Helena thinks you are; it's illegal! What if a cop saw you following me and pulled you over and you got thrown in jail, then what? You think I'm going to let Helena pay your bail?"

"You think I'm going to let her pay _yours_?" Q snapped.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't act so innocent." Vic hissed, "I know _everything_!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Roger snapped, "Now if you excuse me, I'm going home to my family. I'd tell you to do the same but seeing as you don't have one that seems rather pointless."

"At least if I had one I wouldn't go around _betraying _them and cheating on my wife!" Vic shot, "You're cheating on Helena and with the damn Mafia, and Mandragora to top it off! How the hell could you do this to them?"

"It's called _money_, Vic. Just because you don't have any doesn't mean I'm fine with being broke."

"_Money _isn't making you fuck that woman in there, is it? How could you to this to them? Don't you know how upset she's going to be when she finds out your little secret? Mandragora, the man she hates more than anything, the murder of her parents, and the root of all her fears is your damn _boss_! Everything you have together has been financed her parents killer!"

"What I do is my own business!"

"Not when you're ruining the lives of a good woman and three innocent children! How can you sleep at night knowing you're probably going to get them all killed?"

"Would you shut up! Helena lied to me first, dammit; I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm bringing money home and putting food on the table. My kids can all go to college now and have a good future; who cares if it's dirty money?"

"You're throwing away your marriage with Helena for some whore!" Vic exploded, "How the hell could you do that and not care? I'd _kill _to have someone like her love me, but you're just-"

"Aw, that's just it, isn't it, Viccy?" Roger laughed, "Do you think I'm _blind_? I see you making puppy-dog eyes at my wife every time you're around her! You always act so _polite_ and when she gives you a freak'n hug goodbye you get this look on your face like you're getting a damn hand-job! I got news for you, buddy, Helena's mine! I don't know why the hell you still seem to think that you've got a chance!"

"I-I don't...you can't possibly...I-I-"

"You're like a homeless puppy with no family to call your own so you hang around mine." Roger growled, "Do you_ honestly_ think Helena doesn't know you have feelings for her?"

"She does not!" Vic shouted before he could stop himself, "Even if I _did _care about her like that there's no way she would know."

"You can't even grow a pair and admit it! You want to know why I never worried about you and your little crush? I knew you were too much of a spineless psycho to actually do anything about it! Every time I saw you smile like an idiot at her or offer to do something I wanted to laugh because I'd never seen anything so pathetic in my life. You want to know what she _really _thinks of you?"

"Oh, do tell!"

"She thinks you're a freak! A loon! You think she actually _likes _hanging out with you? Every time she comes home after going on patrol or spending even a minute around you she complains about how clingy of a guy you are and how paranoid you make her. She always goes on and on about how lonely you must be but if you'd just _stop _being so crazy people might actually _like _hanging around you!"

"...You're lying." Vic said quietly, "You lie about everything." He had to be lying; no way would his Helena say something like that about him.

He raised an eyebrow, "How do you know, wise guy? Hasn't she ever said how badly she needs to get you a girlfriend?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"You're pathetic." Roger sneered, "The only reason Helena hangs around you is because she _knows _you like her. She thinks it's cute, like a school boy having a crush on his teacher, but she knows you don't have really have a chance. Hell if you didn't babysit for free when she asked she would have dropped you long ago."

Vic froze. It was as if everything he'd ever worried about concerning what Helena _really_ thought about him had been thrown in his face. _How-How could she think that? I-I'd do anything for her and she… No, she would never do anything like that to me, would she?_

Q's mind raced. Deep down he'd always feared Helen thought that about him, but he'd never truly believed it. He was an expert at reading people and knowing what they really thought, but had love blinded him? No, it couldn't be true. This man was a lying, cheating jackass who hadn't even known Helena doubled as the Huntress; no way would he know something like that, "I'm the pathetic one? Who was married to the woman for fifteen years without realizing she was a superhero?"

"You son of a bitch. You think just because you're a stalker who knows random shit about everybody you can stand there and insult me?"

"I think when Helena finds out what you've been doing it's not me you'll have to worry about."

Roger's face paled, "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" Snapped Vic, "Helena's a close friend of mine and you're a man-whore who's going to put her through Hell. Who do you think I'm going to side with here?"

"It's none of your damned business what I do!" Roger exploded, "It's my damn life, my damn decision, my damn job-"

"It isn't just affecting _you_!" Q shouted, "It's also affecting Helena, your children, her family, your family, _everyone_!"

"You're absolutely right." Roger spat, "It is affecting them. Did it ever occur to you that I don't tell them because I know it'll hurt them? You want to tell Helena, fine. But when you have to watch her scream and yell and cry and throw a fit like a toddler then don't come crying to me. If you want to be the one who tells her that her life is a farce then I wish you luck."

Vic was silent as Roger slammed his car door shut and sped away. He didn't want to be the one to tell Helena what was going on and watch her face crumble when she learned the truth. He knew he _had _to do it, but that didn't make it easier.

Vic was the Question. He could answer things that left most scholars stumped and the average man tare his hair out in frustration. There was one question, however, that he couldn't answer.

How in the world was he supposed to tell Helena this?

* * *

><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	15. Happy

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, feel free to keep them coming:)**

* * *

><p><em>Vic rolled over and wrapped an arm around his lover's waist, "That was amazing."<em>

_"I try." Myra replied modestly, placing her hands on his chest and listening to his heart beat, "Are you okay?"_

_"Of course." Vic answered in surprise, "I just finished making love to a woman I care about. Why would you ask something like that?"_

_"I don't know, I just feel like you're not happy."_

_He thought about it for a moment, "What would make you think that?"_

_"You just seem so...calm." Myra explained, "Not happy or depressed, just...there. You're kind of emotionless most of the time."_

_"I am not." Vic protested half-heartily._

_"You used to be so passionate about everything, you know? Your job at KBEL, fighting against all the political junk this city has, people you were close to...me."_

_"I'm still passionate about all those things, especially you. Just yesterday I was investigating the Conspiracy when-"_

_"The Conspiracy doesn't count, Vic. I'm talking about _you_, not the Question."_

_"I am the Question." Vic frowned, "More than I am Vic, anyways."_

_"I know, I know." She sighed, "But you've changed, Vic. Ever since we got back together you've been...distant."_

_"Distant how?"_

_"Distant from the people who love you and the things you love." Myra clarified, "What's going on with you, Vic?"_

_"I..." He struggled to find the right words, "I don't know. I feel like I'm missing something, like I'm not really there. I don't feel complete."_

_"What do you think is missing?"_

_Q thought it over; when had he become so confused with everything? When had he realized he was missing something? He knew he hadn't always felt so alone, "I was at work." He began slowly, "It had been such a long day; all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. But Mr. O'Neil had other ideas for me and sent me to Metropolis to cover an incident that had happened. When I arrived everyone looked...happy. They had lost everything, but they were okay with it. For the life of me I couldn't understand it."_

_"Then what happened?"_

_"I asked one of the men I saw what the hell was wrong with him." Vic continued, "He said it didn't matter how much he lost; he still had what was most important to him."_

_"And what was that?"_

_"His family." Q said quietly, "He still had his wife who he loved and their infant in a carrier. Even though his home was trashed he was still happy."_

_"What are you getting at?"_

_"I want to be happy like that."_

_Myra took a moment to process this, "You mean you want to get married and have kids?_

_"What? No!" Vic exclaimed, "No marriage and definitely no kids. I mean I want something that gives me that sort of happiness. I want to be happy like they all were."_

_"Have you ever felt happy? I mean honest to God happiness?"_

_"...No." He admitted, "No, I haven't. I want to, but I don't know how to get it."_

_"Have you ever felt anything close to it?"_

_"Yes, when I'm around you I feel something close to it." Q murmured, "Very, very close to it."_

_She smiled and pulled him into a deep kiss as he wrapped his arms around her. That wasn't exactly true. He had felt true happiness when he was around Helena. He just knew nothing could ever come of it._

_Not since the day she said her vows._

* * *

><p>"Tonight in our charming little city a woman was found brutally murdered in a gutter." Vic announced into the camera.<p>

Ah, work. Work was something he understood. There was no time for chit-chat, no emotions, no anything. Just him, a desk, a teleprompter, and the camera recording him read off whatever happened since he'd last signed off. Reading the news off a sheet of paper was the easiest and more often than not the most enjoyable part of his day. The activity was for the most part moderately thoughtless and simple.

"The ever-so dedicated police force has begun to investigate, but so far there are no leads as to who committed the crime. In other news our _fantastic _mayor has decided to increase homeowner's tax by sixty percent to pay for his new home. Sorry, pronounced that wrong, to pay for a _clean-up _of the Upper North side."

He couldn't resist smirking a bit as he 'corrected' himself. All he had to do was read what was in front of him and occasionally add his own opinions on the matter. When life was scripted, life was easy.

"The project is designed to benefit the locals living in the area. Although most wanted to work on adding additional members to the police force our beloved mayor decided fixing empty homes would be a much better contribution to the city."

He wished he had a script for how to tell Helena what was happening. When it came to delivering someone close to him the news that their world was about to be turned upside down, Vic was clueless. How was he supposed to do this? What was he supposed to say to her?

For that matter should he even be the one to tell her? Helena was one of the two people on the planet he'd trust with his life, but did she trust him as much as he trusted her?

Roger was an asshole, that much Vic knew for certain. What he was doing to Helena was not only immoral but downright despicable. Cheating on Helen was one thing, but cheating on her with a common whore while working for her childhood tormentor was something else entirely. He knew Helen still had nightmares about terrifying men charging in on her home and killing her loved ones even after all this time.

The thought of her husband working for that son of a bitch made Vic sick.

"In a more depressing turn of events, the Blue Collar liquor store was burned down this afternoon. While no one is completely certain how the fire started evidence strongly suggests a gang is responsible."

Didn't Roger understand how precious Helena's love was? For a woman like her to be so vulnerable and trusting with anyone was uncharacteristic, yet she'd even settled down with the man. She'd allowed him to marry her, love her, care for her, and in turn she did the same for him. How could he throw something like that away?

As far as Vic was concerned it was just another reason to be biased against ignorant people of wealth. They had no idea what it was like to struggle or worry about getting the simplest thing they needed. People like Roger seemed to expect everything they got, and no matter how good or precious it was they wanted more.

People like Roger had the ability to discard and take advantage of something others would kill for. In this case, it was Helena.

Q wasn't foolish enough to hold on to the notion that if Helena's marriage failed she would instantly fall hopelessly in love with him. Aside from being rather stupid and uncharacteristic it simply wasn't realistic. If (although it was beginning to look more like _when_) they separated it would take months of healing and comfort before she could even consider dating anyone again. But with no other man in the picture, his chances of finally calling her his did increase.

"This Vic Sage reporting for KBEL news, thank you and goodnight." Vic concluded, standing up and loosening his tie.

He headed out of the small building with his head down low to make it perfectly clear he was in no mood for conversation. As he headed towards where he parked his car, his phone went off.

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don't cha? _The song played through the empty parking lot as he debated answering it or not, _Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me? Don't Cha wish your girlfriend was fun like- _"Hello?"

"_Hey! It's Helen."_

Vic fought back a curse. Though normally chatting with Helena was pleasant he was still struggling with how to tell her the news, "I know, Helen. Caller ID, remember?"

_"Well hello to you to, Mr. Smartass." _She said over the phone, _"Now as much as I'd love to sit here and chat about how great technology is these days I believe I owe you dinner."_

"Uh... What?"

_"You've been so good to me, Vic. Not just with the whole thing about Roger, I mean you were good during that too, but you've been such a great friend to me over the years. I feel like I owe you."_

"You don't owe me anything, Helena. You know that."

_"Well of course I _know _I don't but I _feel _like I do. Couldn't you just let me believe I'm not some selfish bitch who never does anything for her friends?"_

Vic thought about it. The longer he kept Roger's other activities a secret from Helena the worse she would take it when he dropped the bomb. She was going to be hurt no matter what happened, so why not do it as soon as possible? At least that way she would know she could still trust someone, "Alright." He sighed, "If it really makes you happy I'll be there. What time?"

_"Seven." _Helena replied happily, _"It can be a celebration dinner."_

"What are we celebrating?"

_"Relationships. To having an actual friend in this screwed-up world who not only is willing to put up with my sorry ass but help me when I need it. That and an overall happy marriage that thankfully isn't going to end any time soon."_

"Yeah." Vic replied uncomfortably, "Hooray for relationships."

* * *

><p>Q tentatively knocked on Helena's door, unconsciously touching the file folded up in his pocket.<p>

In one small file there was enough information to blow Helena's life completely out of proportion. With just a few sheets of paper his beloved would be reduced to tears at the ultimate betrayal.

"You can come in, Q!" Helena called from the other side.

He gulped quietly and entered the particularly lovely home, his eyes falling to a photo of a smiling Helena standing with her three children. Anger surged through him as he was once again reminded of how some people truly did not understand how bad they had it. To watch the one thing he'd craved so badly for so long be taken advantage of by a spoiled rich boy irked him beyond comprehension.

"I don't even know why you knock, Vic. I mean honestly, you're practically family." Helena smiled as she entered the room, "All the times I've seen you chuck a freak'n plant through a window to get in and you won't enter your own friend's house like you should."

"To be fair I used to pick the lock, but Roger informed me that was considered rude." Vic shrugged, "Who knew?"

"You're the dumbest genius I've ever met, you know that, right?"

"Only because you say it so frequently."

A laugh escaped her lips as she hugged him briefly before looking up at him and frowning in concern, "...Are you alright?"

He attempted what he hoped resembled a smile, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You tell me." Helena replied placing her hands on her hips, "What's the matter?"

"I-"

"Don't give me that 'it's nothing' shit. I know something's up and you're going to save me a whole lot of yelling if you tell me what it is right now before I have to beat it out of you."

"I..." He trailed off uncertainly. Why him? Of all the people on the planet why did it have to be him who had to tell Helena the truth about her husband? Better yet why did this have to happen in the first place? There were over six billion people populating the Earth but the one he cared about the most was the one that had to suffer.

Sometimes he really hated being right.

"I..." He searched in vain for the right words, "I think we need to talk."

"About what?" Helena asked in surprise, "It's nothing to graphic, is it? The kids are here and I don't want them to-"

"No, no, it's not that." He sighed, taking her hand in his and sitting on the couch, "Sit."

Puzzled, she obeyed him, "Why?" She searched his eyes as though they would tell her, "...Did someone die? Oh my God, if it's Sal or Roger I'll-"

"No, no one's dead." Vic assured her.

Relief flashed across her face, "Good, you had me worried there. So what is it?"

He gulped quietly and loosened his tie, fidgeting uncomfortably. What he'd give to be immediately teleported to investigate something... "I-I don't quite know how to say this."

"How about telling me?" Helena suggested, "I'm a big girl, Q, just come out with it."

"...Remember how we were investigating Roger yesterday?"

"Of course, it was only yesterday."

"Right, well remember how you decided to go home and I stayed behind to investigate the paint?"

"...Is that what this is about?" Helena asked carefully, "The paint?"

"N-No, of course not." Vic let out a sharp laugh, "I _wish _it was, but..."

"But what?"

"Maybe you should read this." Vic sighed, handing her over the file, "It's a hell of a lot easier than trying to explain it to you."

Helen raised an eyebrow as she gingerly took the cream colored file from his hands and sat it down on her lap. She opened it cautiously as the contents poured out all over her lap, "...What the hell is this?"

"Helena...Roger isn't the man you think he is." Vic began gently, "While I was investigating I learned some rather..." He searched for the correct word, "_Upsetting _facts about him."

Her face twisted into confusion as she began skimming over the contents of the folder. She picked up a photo at random and stared at it, "I don't get it." She frowned, staring at the photo of Roger and two other men in business suits entering a lavishly decorated home, "He's at a business meeting, so what?"

"It's not the meeting itself that's important, Helena, it's who's there and what they're doing that you need to know about." He explained, "Keep reading."

She let out a skeptical sigh but did as she was told. After a few moments of silence she finally asked, "I'm confused, what is all of this?"

"Roger was having an affair like you suspected." Q admitted quietly, "The woman's name is Angelica Copperilli; a stripper who often is booked by the Mafia for entertainment." He did his best to ignore the look on her face as he continued, "She's twenty-four and engaged to a man named Jacob Ronozzi; her boss at the club."

Helena stared at him speechlessly as he lifted up a photo of a young woman perched on her husband's lap as she showered him with kisses, "I'm so sorry, Helena. I didn't kno-"

"You're lying." Helena said quietly.

"What?"

Her head snapped up suddenly, her eyes smoldering in fury, "You're lying!"

"Why the hell would I be lying?"

"You tell me!" She snapped, standing up, "Do you really expect me to believe my husband's cheating on me with a whore?"

"Well, I-"

"Are you really going to just stand there and tell me he's fucking someone else on the side?"

"Uh, to be technical-"

"How can you just stand there and _lie _to me?" She exploded, "You're standing here in my house telling me that-"

"Helena! Damn it, why would I lie?" Vic shouted as he stood up as well, "I came here because you wanted me to find out the truth, remember? How can _you _stand there and accuse _me _of lying to you while staring at photos of your husband shoving his damned tongue in another woman's mouth? You want to go on pretending everything's alright, fine. But don't you dare stand there and accuse me of _lying _to you!"

Helena snatched up the photo and waved it in his face, "How do I know it's real, smartass? You're a freak'n genius with computers and shit; you could have made this all up!"

"Made it- What the hell is wrong with you? I worked my ass off because you asked me to and you're just standing there-" A photo slipped out of the folder and onto the floor, stopping the argument in mid-sentence as both pairs of eyes fell onto it.

It was a snap-shot of a couple in bed together, the thin cotton sheet barely managing to cover them as they mated under it. Helena felt her heart shoot up to her throat as she recognized Roger's face, "...Oh my God."

"I didn't know how to tell you." Vic admitted quietly, "I-I'm so sorry."

Helena ignored him as she stared at the photo, her entire body and mind numb, "...Oh."

He gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"What?" She blinked as though just noticing he was there, "Oh, I have-I have to go."

"Go where?"

She felt her body turn hot as her eyes began to sting, "Nowhere, just go away."

"Helena-"

Her voice trembled as she shot him a pleading look that broke his heart, "Please, Vic. Just...Please."

He nodded dully as she walked out of the living room, pausing as she reached the door to her bedroom, "...Vic?"

"Yes?"

"Anything else I should know?"

"...Roger works part-time for the Mafia." He mumbled, "Mandragora's his boss."

"O-Oh." Helena whispered, "Is that all?"

"That's all."

Her legs seemed to be replaced by jelly as she used her hand to steady herself, her mind unable to process the information. She gave Vic a light nod as she fumbled with the door to her room, closing it weakly as she stumbled to the bed.

Vic silently stood up and grabbed his fedora off the coat rack, shrugging on his coat and placing the hat over his head. He knew the magnitude of what had been done was far from over. Helena was still in shock, and pretty soon her emotions were going to boil over and she would snap.

He just hoped he would be able to put her back together again.

* * *

><p>Helena collapsed onto her large bed, the folder still in her hand.<p>

Suddenly it felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds instead of just a few mere ounces. The weight of the words contained in it was heavier than the entire planet and at the moment she felt as though she was Atlas trying to balance it on her shoulders.

She was numb, not just in body but mind. Her brain struggled to grasp the audacity of what had happened, but she was unable to properly comprehend it. The shock itself was still setting in, much less her actual response to the situation.

Helen once again glanced at the file on her bedspread, opening it up and re-reading through the detailed reports. With every secret that was exposed a whole new layer of hurt was piled on, and when she'd finally finished it she felt weaker than she'd felt in years.

No way could she let anyone see her like this. The Huntress had a reputation to uphold; she was a fearless angel of vengeance hell-bent on bringing justice to the underworld no matter what the cost. No matter what fresh hell life chucked at her she stood strong, never showing how bad it truly hurt.

But under the mask and behind the name, Helen was simply a woman; a woman who had been deeply hurt and betrayed by the one person on Earth who had sworn to love and protect her no matter what.

And as a woman, Helena did the only reasonable thing for anyone in that situation to do.

She bowed her head down, placed her face in her hands, and cried and cried until she had no tears left to shed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	16. Teddy Bear

**A/N I own nothing, not even Q's fedora.**

**Thanks for all your reviews:) **

* * *

><p><em>Myra sat down and placed her hands on the table in front of her, "Vic..."<em>

_"Yes?" Vic asked with a slight frown._

_"We need to talk."_

_Damn. The four words on the planet he hated coming from a woman more than anything else. He didn't quite know what she was about to say but her knew it wasn't going to be good, "What about?"_

_Any hope of it possibly being about something that wasn't going to ruin his day diminished when she said, "Us."_

_Double damn. In an attempt to stall the conversation as long as possible he forced a smile on his face and replied, "Alright, do you want to talk after breakfast? I could make the coffee if you want."_

_"No thank you." Triple damn. "Could you sit down so we can talk?"_

_"If it makes you happy." He sighed, sitting down and looking up at the pretty woman in front of him, "What about us?"_

_Her brow narrowed together, "...I don't thinking we're working to well, Vic."_

_"What do you mean? I thought we were doing well together."_

_"So did I for a little while." Myra admitted, "But certain things you do I just can't ignore anymore."_

_"Such as?"_

_"You don't seem like you're really here. I know your body might be here but it feels like your mind's always somewhere else. Every time I want to get out of the house and do something together you suddenly have to go on patrol or something. And..."_

_"And what?"_

_"You called me Helena again last night."_

_Q felt guilt stab him in the bottom of his gut. Damn it, damn it, damn it! He didn't want to hurt the woman who had always been so patient and understanding with him. Why had he done something so stupidly insensitive? Myra had been understanding and compassionate beyond what was necessary. Every time he had messed up or missed a date in favor of work she'd merrily sighed and gave him a small smile saying it was okay. "Are-Are you sure?"_

_"Yes, Vic. Yes I am." She sighed wearily, rubbing her temple, "Right before you came you started panting her name in my ear."_

_"I-I..."_

_She looked away from him, "Vic, I know you cared about her. I'm not stupid enough to think all that love can go away just because she put a ring on her finger. I just need to know you're not with me on the rebound."_

_"It's not like that!" He protested, "Myra, you know I care about you deeply, it's just-"_

_"I do know you care about me." She said softly, "But I also know you still care about her. I don't deserve to be used for living out your fantasies."_

_"I'm not using you for sex, Myra. You know I would never do that."_

_"I didn't say you are, Mr. Sage. I think you do it by accident and don't want to stop." She opined, "You're good with questions, Vic, so I have one for you. Are you happy with me?"_

_"Of course I-"_

_"Think about it." She ordered gently, "Are you honest to God happy with me? Out of all the women in the world are you with the one you want more than anything? "_

_"I..."_

_"Be honest. Not just with me, but with yourself. If Helena came strolling through that door right now and fell hopelessly in love with you would you still want to stay with me knowing you could finally have her?"_

_"...No." He admitted quietly, "I'm sorry, Myra. You don't know how sorry I am to say that."_

_She smiled at him sadly, "It's alright, it's not like you chose to feel like that. Vic, if you're not treating me like I deserve and you're not happy than what do we have keeping us together? Sadness? Pain? It's not healthy."_

_"...Are you leaving me?" He asked despondently._

_"Don't think of it as me telling you goodbye, think of it as the two of us finally coming to a point in our lives where we know what we want and who we want to be with." Myra smiled wobbly, "It's for the best."_

_Vic let her words sink in, "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."_

_"Good." She replied sweetly, standing up from the table._

_"Myra, I have to know...do you hate me?"_

_"Of course I don't hate you." Myra assured him, "Vic, you helped me raise my daughter, supported me to run for mayor when I wasn't sure I could do it, took care of me when my ex-husband was drinking himself to death, and saved me more times than I can count. I could never hate you, especially over something as trivial as this."_

_Vic nodded slowly, "Are you sure? I don't want-"_

_"I'm positive, Vic. It'll take a lot more than a broken heart for me to hate you." She smiled sadly as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek, "She's a lucky lady to have someone like you love her so much, and she doesn't know what she's missing out on. Even if it doesn't work out between the two of you I hope you find someone to make you happy."_

_He pulled her down for one last kiss, "And I hope you find someone too, Myra. You deserve someone who can give you what you want and need."_

_"Bye, Vic." She murmured, picking up her coat as she prepared to leave the small apartment, "I'll see you around town, okay?"_

_"Okay." He agreed quietly, "Good-bye, Myra."_

_As the door swung shut Vic took a sip of the now cold coffee in front of him. Myra shouldn't have to spend the rest of her life with a man who wasn't appreciating her the way she deserved. It only made sense to let her go._

_Where did this leave him? What was he supposed to do? He'd been avoiding Helena ever since her wedding day and felt himself missing her more and more every day. Now that Myra was gone there would be no one to offer him a distraction from his thoughts of a certain lovely Italian._

_Maybe it was time to pay Helena a visit._

* * *

><p>Light music drifted into Helena's ears as she sat alone on the bar stool, a shot of whiskey in her hand.<p>

There was so much appeal in getting drunk and forgetting everything from one's name to whatever's causing them pain. The prospect was not only easy to accomplish but cheap.

"Care for another shot, Miss?" The bartender asked as he wiped off an empty glass.

She nodded weakly and pushed her empty shot glass towards him, "Mm-hm. Vodka, please."

Vodka was exactly what she needed tonight. Her tolerance for alcohol was impressively high, but Vodka would be enough to do her in. After a night like last night, she needed to get drunk and forget everything.

A shiver of sorrow shook her as she took another sip. How could he? How could he do something like this to her? To their children? Damn him, damn him to Hell!

She looked down at the bar and scowled. Never had she felt so betrayed, not once. Never had she been so humiliated and hurt by someone she was so close to. Not once in her entire, fucked up life had something of this magnitude happened to her. It was betrayal at its finest, and naturally Helena was the victim.

"This seat taken?"

She looked up and blinked tiredly at a tall man with caramel hair and a warm smile, "Sure, whatever makes you freak'n happy."

"You seem to be in a lovely mood." He laughed as he sat down, "I'm Daniel."

"I'm *hic* fucked." Helena replied, "Fucked raw and left to die out on the sidewalk."

"How do you spell that?"

"You're funny." She sneered, "Funny as a damn circus."

"I believe you mean 'clown'." He smirked, placing a hand on her knee, "Out of curiosity, how much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Only, like..." She paused to count her fingers, "three or seven shots."

He smiled a Cheshire cat grin, "Perfect. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful of a woman you are, miss. Would you care to come back to my house and maybe-"

"I wouldn't if I were you." Came a new voice, "Not unless you don't want to wake-up tomorrow."

"Viccy?" Helena frowned as she squinted her eyes, "What're you doing here?"

Q ignored her and turned to the man attempting to seduce her, "Leave."

"But Q!" Helen protested, "Donny was just-"

"It's Daniel." The man interrupted.

"Sorry, Derek was trying to help me get home!"

"I'm sure he was." Vic frowned, glaring at the man, "Go away."

"Can't even try to get some pussy without being harassed." The man grumbled under his breath as he stormed away.

Vic turned his gaze back to Helena and eyed the empty shot glasses wearily, "You've been drinking."

"What's your *hic* point?" She frowned.

"The point is this isn't going to solve anything." Vic sighed, grabbing her hand in his and pulling her off the seat. She stumbled as Vic pulled her forward and smashed against his chest.

"Ouch!" She groaned, rubbing her head and leaning against him, "What are you doing here, Q-boy?"

"Q-boy?" Vic balked, "God, I hate it when you drink. Come on, I'm taking you home."

A smack across the face left his cheek stinging as he gaped at Helena, "What the hell was that for?"

"You shouldn't...shouldn't...damn it I forget." She muttered, pulling his head down and placing a kiss on his cheek, "There, now it's all better."

Red tinted his cheeks as he once again pulled her off the stool, "Come on; let's get you home before you do something you really regret."

"But I don't wanna." She protested, "Maybe I wanna get drunk and do something stupid!"

"You've only had four shots, and that's all I'm letting you have. You can do up to three without feeling anything, four gets you a little tipsy, and once you hit six and a half you get completely slammed." Vic replied, "Currently you can still remember what happened and tomorrow you'll remember some of this; anymore and you'll just regret it in the morning."

"You're like my father." Helena frowned, "You can't tell me what to do, Papa Q."

Vic sighed and seeing no other alternative grabbed her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, "Sorry."

"What the hell are you doing?" Helena snapped, punching him in the back, "Put me down you crazy bastard!"

"Nope." Vic snorted, tightening his grip on her as he walked out of the bar. He knew Helena would kill him if she remembered being carried out of a bar kicking and screaming in such an undignified manner, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let her make a mistake she'd just end up feeling guilty about after everything that had just happened.

"Put! Me! Down!" Helena demanded as she beat her fists onto his back like a pair of hammers, "Vic!"

"Can't do that." He shrugged, "It's just for a few blocks, then we'll be back at your apartment and I'll let put you down."

"You just wanna touch my ass."

"No, I just want to make sure you're all right." Vic explained. Though getting to rest his palm on her lovely rear was a bonus, it was hardly the reason he was sacrificing his back to her fists.

He knew Helena was beginning to go through what would undoubtedly be a long, rough patch in her life. Getting drunk would temporarily ease the pain, but in the long run it would do nothing but harm her. If she took to drinking now it could lead to her constantly turning to the bottle whenever something went wrong, and he would never let her harm herself that way.

He had dealt with his own demons in the past and knew first-hand what it was like to be addicted to something. Although he himself had been addicted to a completely different kind of bottle the need was similar. No way in hell would he allow Helena to fall into the clutches of something as trivial as alcohol; she was far too strong for that.

"VIC!" She screeched as she delivered an extra hard fist to his spine while kneeing him directly in the groin.

"_Shit!" _He gasped, trying to keep himself from doubling over in pain, "Damn it, Helen! I'm trying to help you, would you just stop it?"

"No!"

Vic ignored her as he struggled to get the key into her lock. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as it clicked open and he entered the lavish home, "There, are you happy now? My back's covered in bruises and I probably won't be able to have sex for a week after you dove your new into my damn crotch."

"Like you were gonna get some anyways." She retorted as she took a wobbly step forward, "Oh God, I'm gonna puke..."

"Warned you." Q shrugged, "I told you not to get drunk."

She ignored him as she made a beeline for the bathroom, her palm covering her mouth. Moments later an awful retching sound was heard as she fell to her knees.

Vic sighed and followed her into the large bathroom, kneeling down next to her and pulling her hair back with his hand, "You okay?"

"N-No." She groaned, her body shuddering as she prepared for yet another round of vomiting, "Aw damn it, God I hate him, I hate him so fucking much..."

"I know, I know." Vic murmured as another round of purging overtook her. He rubbed her back soothingly as she choked, "You need anything?"

She shook her head no, her eyes screwed shut as she prayed for it to end. Aside from being downright humiliating the entire experience was disgusting and unsanitary. This was the part of drinking that she despised.

She felt Vic's warm hand circle around her back soothingly as he rubbed it reassuringly, "Are you going to be alright?"

After a moment of debate she responded by once again puking her brains out. Groaning, she gestured for Q to leave her alone for a little while, "You sure?"

"Y-Yeah." She nodded tiredly, "Just-Oh shit..."

Vic decided to let her be as he stood up and headed out the room, through the living room, and into the kitchen. He inwardly winced as the sound of her heaving reached his ears but tried his best to ignore it as he raided her kitchen cabinets for a bottle of Advil. The things he did for her...

Helena looked up from the sink at Vic re-entering the room with a blue bottle in his hand, "Here." He said as he handed it to her, "Take two when you're done so you don't wake-up with a hangover, alright?"

"'Kay." She agreed quietly, "God, this sucks."

"Reason number four why you shouldn't turn to alcohol when you're in pain."

"Shut up." She grunted, grabbing a bottle of mouthwash and pouring it into her mouth, "Gndn sdfs er sdsa."

"What?"

After a minute of swishing she repeated, "Fucking hate him."

"Oh."

"I-I gave him _everything_; said I loved him, told him the dirty stuff, did the dirty stuff, fucking said I was Huntress..."

"He was an ass, Helen. You deserve better."

"Damn straight I do." She breathed, "Deserve fucking Superman for all the shit I go through."

"Could you please stop swearing?" Vic asked politely, ignoring the fact she had once again picked a man that wasn't him, "Take these."

She looked at the minuscule pills in Vic's palm and frowned, "You trying to drug me?"

Vic rolled his eyes, "Damn, you got me. Do you really think I would risk my genitals to drug a good friend of mine who I know could easily finish me off without a second thought? Apparently when you're drunk you're also stupid."

"Shut up!" She shouted, "Don't you dare call me stupid, Vic! You don't think I know how much of a blind dumbass I had to be not to notice what Roger was doing behind my back? You don't think I hate myself for not noticing my damn husband was fucking another woman on the side and working for Goddamn Mandragora!"

"Helena..." Vic murmured, "I didn't mean it like that honest. I was referring to you thinking I would try to drug you."

"Well thanks for nothing, asshole." She snapped, grabbing the pills out of his hand and storming into her bedroom, "Have fun jacking yourself off like you probably do every night since you can't even hire a hooker to do it for you!"

Vic felt his face grow slightly red with embarrassment. That one hurt. Talking about sexual things with women left him a little uncomfortable, and even though Helena had no problem with it and chatted to him for than he liked it still left him feeling awkward.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away, "Not my fault no one wants to put up with me."

_Silence. _

"I guess I'll go, then." Vic sighed, "Goodnight."

"...Don't go."

He turned to her in surprise, "Huh?"

"Come in here."

His mind felt a little fuzzy as he imagined her laying in her bed completely nude, calling for him. Instead, he found her very clothed form curled into a ball as she sat up, her head resting on her knees, "What is it?"

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I know I'm a bitch. Probably why Roger started dumping his sperm in someone else..."

"No, don't ever think that." Vic ordered softly, "Helen, it's not your fault. Don't ever think it is."

"Then why would he do this?" She whimpered, a tear running down her cheek, "He-he said he loved me; that I was the prettiest woman he'd ever seen with better tits than Wondy. And I-I believed it. God, I'm so fucking stupid!"

"Helen..." Vic murmured as he sat next to her on the large bed, "You're a lot of things, but stupid isn't on the list. You believed him because you loved him and wanted more than anything for him to do the same."

"Whatever." She sniffed, wiping away her tears before they could fall, "I feel like such a bimbo. Look at me, I'm actually _crying_."

"Nothing wrong with that, either. It's okay to cry sometimes."

"Not me. I never cry." Helena muttered as another tear fell, "It makes me feel vulnerable and weak."

"Helen...you're only human. No matter how tough you are, and I know you're incredibly strong, you can only hold so much in."

She stared at him for a moment, light intoxication clouding her thoughts. Against her better judgment and principals, she flung her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck in one fluid motion. She tightened her arms around his neck as she pressed her body against his, tears she'd been unwilling to let fall finally beginning to trickle down.

Vic's eyes widened in slight surprise at the sudden gesture. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her back, rubbing it like he had done earlier. He knew next to nothing about how to comfort people, much less heart-broken women, but the least he could do was try. He pulled her close and held her tightly in his grasp, "Shh... It's okay, Helen."

Her body trembled as tears she refused to shed began to fall, "No it's not! Don't you get it? My kids don't have a Daddy, I'll have to get a divorce, people are gonna talk even more or even worse feel _sorry _for me, and fucking Mandragora's _still _making my life Hell!"

He knew it was true, so he remained silent and continued rubbing her back, "Shh... Everything's going to be okay."

"W-Why does everyone always say that?" She choked, "It's _not _going to be okay, dammit! Everything's wrong!"

"Not _everything_." Q protested, "You still have your job, you and your children are healthy, Huntress is kicking as much ass as ever-"

"I don't care." She whispered, "Everything that's important went to shit."

He sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "At least you finally stopped using Jiff peanut butter."

"Huh? How's that gonna make me feel better?"

"You don't have to worry about it infecting your immune system and leaving you more vulnerable to diseases such as salmonella."

He let out a slight grunt as her fist connected with his chest, "Oof! Unless you want me to leave I suggest you stop that."

She shook her head vigorously and clutched against him as though her life depended on it, "No. Please don't leave, Viccy. You're-You're a good guy and I need you right now."

"Only teasing." He said quickly, "You know I'd never do that to you. You do know that, right?"

"Even though I'm covering your shirt in snot?" She sniffled.

He smiled lightly and brushed a strand of hair from her face, "Even though your covering my shirt in tears and mucus."

She nodded slowly, "O-Okay... Vic?"

"Yes?"

"...Could you stay here tonight and hold me?" The beautiful brunette asked suddenly feeling like a child in need of a toy for comfort, "I really need someone right now."

Vic felt his chest swell with pride. The fact that Helena was willing to let him be near her during such a devastating time and comfort her was one thing, coupled with the fact that she was letting him see her cry was another. And now she wanted him to spend the night? The entire events were immensely humbling, and Vic was more than happy to accompany her in her angst.

"Come here." He murmured, drawing her as close as possible. He placed a kiss on her forehead as he held her like a child, "I'll stay as long as you need me."

"Promise you'll be here when I get up?"

"Swear. Go to sleep, Helena. It'll be better tomorrow."

She nodded once more and tried to wipe away the never ending trail of tears on her cheeks, snuggling closer as close to him as possible before letting out a small, light laugh.

"What?"

"You're like a damn teddy bear."

"...Thanks."

* * *

><p>The room was silent except for the light sound of Helena's breath on Vic's chest.<p>

The red-haired man stared at the beautiful woman in his arms. He liked this; the two of them comforting each other like lovers. A small smile crossed his lips as he noticed the way her hand was latched onto his shirt to prevent him from going anywhere. It felt good to know Helena needed him just as much as he needed her.

Though Helen was always attractive, laying there in his arms she looked gorgeous. This was exactly how it should always be: the two of them laying in bed next to each other, curled up together with their bodies intertwined. After a moment of debate Vic re-positioned Helen's body so it was perfectly parallel to his, pride latching onto him as he noted how perfectly they would fit together. He knew they were meant for each other.

But she obviously didn't.

He pushed the thought of out his mind and pressed another kiss onto her temple. Curling an arm around her tiny waist and propping her body closer, he hugged her to him. He didn't care if she woke up and wanted to know what was going on. Right now the woman he'd been dying to make love to for a good sixteen years was snuggled up next to him in bed, and Vic would be damned if he didn't at least get to hold her.

Helena frowned suddenly and let out a slight groan. Q quickly turned his attention to rubbing her back as he tried to massage out her bad dreams. The situation was conflicting; on one hand he was thrilled that Helena was now single and he had a chance, but on the other he hated it for wounding her so badly she'd cried.

Helena crying was an oxymoron, one of those things that didn't make sense. But he'd watched her weep and held her close as she did so. As hard as it was to comprehend, his Helena had honest to God cried over that asshole. For that, Vic would always hate the man.

He stroked her cheek lovingly as he watched her sleep, his other hand still rubbing her back. When it came to comforting people Vic was out of his territory, but he thought he was doing alright. He knew this wasn't his element; Question was a psycho Conspiracy nut who could break bones with his bare hands, and even as just Vic he was well-known for being over-opinionated, stubborn as hell, and tough as nails. He was a hard man, do doubt about it, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of giving a back-rub.

The tenderness in his touch surprised him. Hell, half of the idiotic things he blurted around Helena or did to impress her surprised him. He knew he showed off around her, but with a reputation like his he needed all the help he could get. Vic wanted her to feel what he did when he was around her; he tried so hard to make her feel the same. He tried to remember his manners and knock instead of breaking through windows, didn't stare at her...parts when he wanted to, tried to help her whenever he could, hell he even volunteered to fix her bike when it broke!

The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. What was he doing wrong? Helen had to care for him a little bit, right? Wasn't there even a hint of attraction to him? Why? He tried so hard, so damn hard to get her to care for him. He'd been loyal when even her husband hadn't; if anyone deserved her love it had to be him.

He didn't understand. Why, why, _why_? He'd been a good man, hadn't he? She teased him she needed to get him a girlfriend, but maybe it was just so she could stop caring for him like he did her. Maybe...Maybe she married Roger because she didn't think he felt the same. But no matter what scenario he thought of it all led back to one question.

"...Why don't you love me?" Vic whispered into the darkness of the room, "I don't...I don't understand..."

He didn't have to worry about her waking up. Between the booze and the pills she was out like a light, "...Don't you care about me even a little? I-I care for _you_, so doesn't it make sense you would...? I just... I don't understand."

He felt his hand brush against her hip as though to assure himself she was there, "I would do anything for you, you know that, but would it even bother you if I died?" He asked quietly, "If something happened to you, I-I would be devastated. Can't even imagine not seeing you, Helena. If someone k-...If someone killed you, I'd kill them."

In the dark Vic hugged her body close to his as though she would vanish at any second, "I've cared about you for so long, it just seems so damn _natural. _You've always treated me so kindly, I-I never believed what I heard about you."

It was true. He'd never believed any of it. When Q met her in person and got to know her he was thrilled to find out he'd been right, "The first time I saw you I thought you were...pretty." Admitting it aloud felt awkward, "Very, very pretty. I watched you and thought about you, but then you decided to hop on my desk and flirt with me."

He smiled at the thought, "You dangled your legs at me and I-I've always loved your legs, then we teamed up and took Madragora down. I remember you asking me why I helped you and..." Vic took a deep breath, "And I was a coward. I lied to you about my intentions and haven't forgiven myself since. Always wondered what would've happened if I told you, but now I know."

Vic closed his eyes as he thought of his discovery, "You wouldn't have been embarrassed; you would have kissed me. _Me_, stupid, crazy me. You would've dragged me away by my tie to a hotel and..." A hint of red tinted his face at the arousing thought, "Well, we did a lot more than kiss. Then we would've dated on and off for a little while and eventually...we would have had a child."

His throat tightened, "We-We were supposed to have children together, Helena. Four of them; two of each gender. I don't _want _kids, but...I didn't even give them the chance to live. I...I killed our children."

Saying it out-loud seemed to make it so much worse. Four souls hadn't been granted the right to live because he was a coward. As disgusted as he was with himself he continued, "I killed our children and I'm never going to forgive myself. They-They were so _beautiful_, and they were _ours_. We were supposed to have them together, Love. But...I was a coward. I was a coward and now they'll never get the chance to live."

A soft sigh emitted from her lips promoting Vic to bend down and lightly nuzzle her neck, "Keep telling myself they aren't real, but...it still hurts. You know when you were having Roger's kid for the first time I was insanely jealous. It was like any little chance I might have still had was squashed, but I still wanted you to be mine. I tried to stop, I tried so damn hard, but I couldn't."

"You were the first person in the League to ever be kind towards me." Vic admitted, "Do you know what it was like to have a beautiful woman you'd watched for some time talk to you and say you weren't insane? To actually listen to what you had to say? It was...odd. Odd but pleasant. I-I was so certain you were going to be mine..."

"But then you met _him_, and everything went so horribly wrong. Remember that day I brought you roses? Those damn roses I'd saved for three weeks to buy? They weren't for congratulating you, they were an attempt to butter you up so to speak. You-You were so happy to see me I-I really thought I had a chance..." A bitter chuckle escaped his mouth, "I was so damn stupid. I-I actually thought you were happy to see _me_, can you believe it? Like you would ever have any interest in stupid me."

He knew he sounded self-loathing but he didn't care, "Me, who makes less than 200 dollars a month. Me, who everyone talks about and hates. Stupid me who can't even admit to the woman he loves that he cares. It wouldn't make any sense. I knew that, I knew it was crazy. But God, the way you made me feel...I couldn't wait to tell you that day. I thought 'If that's how happy she is to see me then just wait until I tell her how I feel'. But why were you really happy? Because you were _engaged_."

"I hate it, I hate it so much." Q continued, "Hate hating myself, hate wanting you, hate having to touch myself because you won't, and I hate knowing I'm going to die alone. I came into this hell of a planet by myself and I know I'm going to leave the same way. Guess some people just don't deserve the good things in life."

This was strangely cleansing. Admitting this to Helena was oddly soothing, "I don't blame you, Sweetheart. You're my other half. Even when I want to be mad at you I just can't stay that way for long. Don't think I'll ever be able to hate you, Helena. Care about you to damn much. I know I can't give you what you deserve, but if I'd give you the moon if I could."

"You're my other half, Helen, my soul mate. I know it sounds crazy, but how much crazier can I sound than I usually do? I know we're meant to be together, I know it." Vic took a deep breath, "I want you to be happy, Helen, and I want to be happy too. We're going to be happy together someday, I promise. We'll make each other so damn happy. But when? Maybe...Maybe this happened so we could be together like we were supposed to be."

It was a long shot and full of crap about destiny, but it was all he had to go on, "Maybe this is the Universe's way of saying were supposed to be together. I never understood how two people so perfect for each other couldn't see it, you know. Thought there had to be some way for them both to know. But here we are, Love, miserable and separate."

"Look, I know I'm sure as hell no Prince Charming, but you're not exactly Cinderella either. Couldn't...Couldn't you just give me a chance?"

Her silence didn't disappoint him; after all, she was asleep. If anything it reassured him that his confession would go unknown. He drew her close one last time and placed a kiss tenderly on her forehead, "I love you, Helen."

And when she smiled into the darkness and snuggled closer to him, he suddenly was filled with hope one day she would too.

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><p><strong>AN This chapter was such a pain to write; I've been planning this scene since March and wanted to get it perfect which is why it's so long. I'm absolutely dying to see if you like it, so PLEASE review on this particular chapter:)**


	17. Poptarts and Cravings

**A/N I own nothing, not even Q's fedora.**

**Thank you all so much for the amount of feedback you gave me in the last chapter! You have no idea how much that meant to me:) **

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><p><em>Q kept his head down as he navigated through the hallways of the building.<em>

_When he finally reached the door belonging to Helena he paused in thought. Was this really the smartest decision? He missed Helena terribly, but what would coming here accomplish? Even if she had feelings for him to it wouldn't work since she had wed herself to Roger. Helena took her religion seriously and that, coupled with her own moral code, meant she'd never have an affair while married._

_Even if the man she was cheating on her husband with loved her more than he ever could._

_"Vic?" _

_Helena's voice brought him out of his thoughts as he looked to see the door wide opening to reveal a slightly frazzled looking Helen with her hair up in a sloppy ponytail wearing a baggy sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. Vic felt his mouth go dry at the site of her as he stood there drinking her in. God, he'd missed her so much. _

_"Vic!" Helen grinned in delight, stepping out of the building and wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him tight._

_"Hello, Helena." Vic smiled. He felt something firm and round pressing against his torso and looked down in puzzlement, "Um...?"_

_She raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction his gaze was, "Oh, that." She laughed, "What? The great Q can't figure out what it is?" _

_"Well it's your stomach, but it's..." He trailed off awkwardly knowing how sensitive women were about their weight. Why did he have to go and draw attention to it in the first place?_

_"I'm pregnant, dummy."_

_For a second it seemed like the world had stopped. He stared at Helena in disbelief as his mind tried to process what she'd said, "W-With a child?" _

_"Well I'm sure as hell not having a fish." She giggled while pulling him into her home, "Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you since my wedding." _

_"I had to go to the Hub." He explained after the initial shock wore off. Helena was pregnant; there was a little person growing inside of her. His Helen was having a baby, and he wasn't the father._

_Just when he thought it couldn't hurt anymore than it had at her wedding._

_"For half a year?" Helen frowned skeptically, "What, was there a nuclear explosion I didn't hear about?" _

_"No, no. I just needed some time off and Myra told me it-...Never mind." _

_She looked at him curiously, "Who's Myra?"_

_Q coughed awkwardly and tugged his tie, "Just a friend." _

_Helena's lips curled into a smile, "Just a friend, eh? Is she a special friend who you do friendly things with like have sleepovers, and ask each other what you think about your bodies, and stick your dick into?"_

_"I don't normally stick my dick inside my friends." _

_"You need new friends." _

_"Hurm, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm thinking of coming over here." Vic murmured, "Are-Are you really pregnant?" _

_"Yeah, for better or for worse." She sighed as she gave her stomach a little pat, "I don't know. I don't want a kid, but Roger seems to be pretty happy about it. Not to mention my family's thrilled I'm making more Bertinelli's. Although if they really think I'm raising another Mafia kid then they've got another thing coming." _

_"Good for you." Q nodded numbly, "So I take it you're happy?" _

_"I gotta say I am." Helena admitted slightly sheepishly, "The only thing I can really complain about is that I can't go on patrol anymore." _

_"Why not?" _

_"Because I don't want to risk the baby getting hurt." She explained tiredly, "I'm afraid something might happen to it."_

_"Ah, how does Roger feel about this?"_

_"...He still doesn't know I'm Huntress." Helena admitted as she self-consciously lowered her voice, "I-I don't know how to tell him. Hell, even if I knew how I wouldn't want to. It would just complicate things. Do you know how difficult it's been for me since I got knocked up? I've been cooped up in this damn apartment and I'm going crazy. Well, crazier."_

_"Sounds awful. I know how much it kills you when you can't get up and do something." Vic sympathized, "Now I feel like an ass for not being around these past few months." _

_"Taking some time off doesn't make you an ass." Helena replied dismissively, "On the other hand, leaving without saying goodbye and ditching your friends so you can have some private time with your girlfriend then never call me again does."_

_"Would it make it any better if I apologized?" _

_"No, but if you want to go and grab me a Poptart from the kitchen that'd be great." At his confused expression she merrily sighed and said, "What can I say? Pregnancy cravings are a bitch." _

_"I can tell." He chuckled, standing up and heading to the kitchen to retrieve her desired snack, "Are you sure you want one? They contain chemicals within the flavorings that make consumers want to buy them in bulk and eat only them."_

_"Who the hell cares? They're delicious." Helen grinned, "Hey, Vic?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"...I really missed you while you were gone."_

_A light smile crossed his lips as pride fluttered through him at her words. Why had he even bothered trying to stop caring about her? It was absolutely impossible. "I missed you too, Helen." _

_More than she would ever know._

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><p>Vic Sage awoke to find himself in a very odd and very erotic situation.<p>

The unusual feeling of something warm laying next to him prompted him to begrudgingly open his eyes only to have his gaze fall on the beautiful woman dozing peacefully besides him. He felt a ridiculous grin that Helena would never let him live down if she was awake spread across his face. Was this some wonderful sort of dream brought on by eating Applebee's two nights ago?

It certainly didn't _feel _like a dream, but Vic had experienced some dreams that had felt so real he hadn't doubted for a moment they were fake; especially during Cadmus. A light chill traveled down his mind as he inwardly cringed at the memory of his torture.

Still not quite sure if this was reality or another dream, he tentatively reached out and placed a hand on her cheek, gently sliding it down her neck. He felt he pulse flutter against his touch and he quickly pulled away.

Vic froze. What the hell was he doing in bed with Helena? His gaze quickly fell onto his bare chest and then back onto her sleeping form. His small shard of hope that maybe, just maybe they'd finally given in to the tantalizing temptation and sexual tension and went at it like two starved dogs quickly faded when he saw her clothes from the previous night still on her body.

His earlier grin turned into a sullen frown when he recalled why they were really in bed together. Vic let out a soft sigh and pulled her body closer and closer to his until she was curled up next to him lazily, her head resting on his chest. As he lightly stroked her hair his mind began to wander. Would she wake up and be happy she'd spent the night by his side where she belonged? Or perhaps angry he'd interrupted her from her drink? Would she try and work it out with Roger or leave his sorry ass for good?

The more Q thought about it the sleepier he felt. Normally putting his mind into overdrive to solve the answers to questions that would matter others heads spin excited him, but right now he couldn't seem to muster the energy to do it. Aside from the fact he hadn't slept in thirty-six hours he felt to content to leave the warm bed he was laying in.

Smirking just a little, he pressed his lips against Helena's neck and breathed in her scent as though to assure himself it really was her. Satisfied, he pulled the covers back over them and fell back into a deep sleep.

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><p>His first thought when he found them wasn't 'What the hell?' or 'That son of a bitch!' or 'How could they?'.<p>

No, when Roger Munroe walked into his bedroom and found his wife curled up in bed next to her psychotic 'friend' (although he'd always wondered if he was more like her boy-toy when he was away, just someone she could have sex with without the strings when her husband failed to be as attentive as she liked) the first thought that popped into his mind was, _I wish Helena brought the black comforter instead of the purple._

Such a stupid, pointless thought that he knew he'd look back on someday and punch a wall in frustration with himself. But for now he was stunned; absolutely betrayed. Once his mind had finally gotten past the decor he demanded, "What the hell is going on here?"

Helena groaned and covered her ears, snuggling closer to Vic. "Mm, baby, not so loud."

"I'll be as loud as I want, dammit! What the hell is going on?"

This time it was Q who awoke with a start. The red-haired man groggily blinked his eyes opened and nudged Helen awake, "I believe he's speaking to you, Helen."

"Huh?" She muttered, looking at him tiredly. He fought back a laugh at the look on her face when she realized they were in bed together and that he was so very shirtless after discarding the yellow shirt after she had drenched it in tears.

If there was ever a time Helena Bertinelli had prayed for something to be a dream more than now it would have surprised her. What the hell was going on? Her eyes flew to Roger's shocked face to Vic's bare chest to the two of them tangled in the sheets. What was going on here indeed? "Um..."

"'Um' what? What the hell did you do?" Roger snarled.

She sat up and found to her relief they hadn't had sex. So why were they snuggled up in bed together like a couple in young, stupid love instead of two friends who spent their time together debating conspiracies and the most efficient methods of beating the hell out of criminals?

Vic sat up as well and gave him a look that made even Helena a little afraid, "The fact that you see no problem accusing your wife of adultery strikes me as hilarious seeing as you yourself have no problem when you're the one doing it."

Helena opened her mouth to ask Q what the hell he meant when the events of the past two days rolled into her head. Suddenly, she didn't feel like chiding Vic anymore. "You prick."

"Excuse me?" Roger gaped, "How am I the one who's a prick when you're fucking the damn guy on the news?"

"Don't even start with me!" Helen snapped, jumping out of the bed and landing on the floor with a thud, "Apparently you've been screwing anything with breasts!"

"_What_?"

"Oh don't even try to deny it." She scowled, "I know _everything!_"

"Everything?"

"_Everything_!" Helen spat as she stormed up to him and slapped him across the face, "You asshole!"

Roger looked at her, stunned. Ignoring the searing pain in his cheek he gasped, "What the hell are you yelling about?"

"You've been fucking a damn hooker and working for _Mandragora_! You Goddamn _prick_!" She shrieked, clutching her fist and preparing to aim.

The next thing she knew Vic was behind her grabbing her waist and holding her back as she attempted to strangle her husband, "Let me go, Q!"

"Why do I doubt that's what you were saying last night?" Roger spat.

"You have some nerve, you know that?" Helena choked, "What could I have possibly done to you that would make you sleep with another woman, Roger? What?"

Roger ignored her and cocked a thumb at Vic, "I'm not saying anything until _he _leaves!"

Helena glared at her husband and grabbed Vic's hand, "The ginger stays, got it? He's not leaving until I say he is."

"Until your little fuck-toy gets the hell out I'm not saying a word." Roger swore, "In our bed, Helena, how could you? You went against our vows, betrayed my trust _again-_"

"Again? What do you mean 'again'?"

"You didn't tell me you were the Huntress for fifteen years, Helena. Fifteen long, secretive years. Do you know how that makes me feel?" Roger asked quietly, "Do you know how awful that was? You hid half of your life from me; a part that I deserved to know. You say that you're far more of the Huntress than you are Helena, so why the hell wouldn't you let me know the real you?"

"I-I..."

"Do you know-"

"Do _you _know what it's like to have someone you love more than anything share a bed with someone else, Mr. Munroe?" Vic asked quietly, "Do you know how it feels to still be tormented by the demons of your childhood?"

"I know damn well what it's like to find the person you love in bed with someone else!" Roger snapped, "Especially when that someone else is a crackpot nobody who's been trying to get in her pants for years!"

"I didn't sleep with him!" Helena cried, "But _you _slept with that big-tited bitch Madragora hired!"

"Well maybe if you hadn't been such a lying slut I wouldn't have had to!"

"What are you-?"

"Huntress is the biggest whore in Gotham, and seeing as we have women like Poision Ivy, Catwoman, whichever slut of the week Wayne's banging, and hell even Bruce Wayne himself that really says something! You want to know how easy you made it to sleep with someone else? I thought a woman as supposedly smart as the Huntress would be able to figure out her husband wasn't just brining papers in his suitcase when he traveled."

"...How many?"

"What?"

Helena closed her eyes and asked quietly, "How many women did you sleep with while you were married to me?"

His voice softened slightly, "Only Angelica, honest. We've only been seeing each other for a year and a half after I found out you'd been lying to me."

Guilt latched onto Helena. Why didn't anyone understand that she'd been trying to protect her family? Huntress wasn't suitable for a home, especially a home where she had three children she loved more than life itself. She couldn't put anyone in her family at risk by having them know her secret. Hell it was bad enough she donned a mask at night. "I..."

"Helena, think about it. That doesn't add up." Vic said as he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts. "You told him about Huntress only a year ago. That leaves six moths unaccounted for."

"Yeah...what about those six months?" Helena frowned as her previous fury returned to her.

"I told you, you were never around and I thought you were cheating on me so-"

"So you started fucking the first woman in a mini-skirt you could find, right? God, you're such an ass!" Helena spat, "How could you to this to me? Even worse how could you do this to our_ kids_? Didn't you ever just once stop and think about what you were doing and how it could affect them?"

"Did _you_?" He retorted.

"Don't you dare blame this on me!"

"Funny how you say that when it's your fault!"

"I trusted you, you know that?" Helena sniffed, wiping a tear onto her sleeve, "I freak'n trusted you even though I know how stupid it is to do that. Hell, I loved your sorry ass! Damn it Roger, how could you do this to me? Don't I mean _anything _to you?"

"Like you said, Helena, you couldn't tell me what I deserved to know. If we don't have trust then what's left?"

The first thought that popped into her head was 'each other', but no way would she ever admit that out loud. "Apparently nothing but lies and meaningless sex, even if it's with someone else."

"Says the woman sleeping with a crackpot."

Vic glared at him, "Coming from a man who can't keep it in his pants and is too much of a coward to tell his wife the truth that he's been getting it on with another woman, that doesn't quite numb me with pain."

"Of course it doesn't because nothing can faze the emotionless Mr. Question." Roger sneered, "You're full of bull, you know that? You're standing there calling me a coward when you can't even tell her you think she's hot. How long have you wondered what it would be like to kiss her, Viccy? Or better yet sleep with her? I bet you get yourself real hot and bothered when you think of her."

"Shut up."

Roger smiled and suddenly Vic felt sick, "I bet you have to touch yourself then, huh? It must be awful knowing that she's never going to do it for you because she's too busy with her husband to take a break and give you some attention, too."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Neither did Helena. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two men as they faced each other, both of them prepared to verbally beat the hell out of each other. She clenched her fists and fought back a few tears as she opened her mouth to begin to yell at him some more, but their conversation stopped her.

"I think I do, Viccy." He grinned, "I think that it drives you crazy. Sure you've got your conspiracy work to keep you busy, but I'd bet you'd kill for her to sit on your lap and give you a little TLC while you work on your next psycho 'theory', as you call them."

Panic was beginning to nag at Vic. He tried to ignore it but he could feel his confidence fleeing more and more with every moment. So much for such a wonderful start to an ultimately awful day. "Don't try to change the subject."

"I don't think I will." The brunette smirked, "In fact I think I'll keep going. You see Vic, even though you can deny it I know what goes on in that crazy little head of yours. After all, you make it so simple. I can see those little puppy-dog eyes you look at her with and see that stupid little grin on your face. You don't think I notice the way you look at the kids? Like they're supposed to be _yours_?" His dry laugh filled the room, "It's hysterical. Would you jump off a bridge if she asked, because I think you would. All that loyalty and obedience and where did it get you? Watching the man she married grab her ass and shove his tongue in her mouth."

Vic felt his confidence return swiftly coupled by anger he hadn't felt in years. As much as he hated to admit it, it was true. Every damn word he said was true. Damn it, she was supposed to love _him_! He wouldn't have done something like this to her! He deserved a few kisses and touching from her after everything he'd been through, didn't he? "You know what, you were right; I fucked your wife."

As Roger's face fell Vic felt an odd sense of pride pulse through him, "I fucked her in your bed, I fucked her against the wall, I fucked her on the table, and then I fucked her some more."

It felt so good to watch Roger's face distort with anger, because for once Vic had the advantage when it came to Helena. Even the stunned look on her face wasn't going to stop him this time. "I fucked her so hard and so good she couldn't even remember her name, you know that? I made her beg me not to stop before I gave her more, and before she did that I made her give me or-"

"Shut up!" Roger exploded, "Shut the hell up you-you _asshole_! I knew, dammit, I knew you were screwing each other! I knew it!"

"Get the hell out." Helena hissed.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get the hell out!" She screeched, "Get your ass out of my house right now or I swear to God I'm going to go five kinds of Italian on you!"

"See if I care!" He shouted, grabbing his coat of the rack and jerking it on him. "Being married to you was the worst mistake I've ever made, you know that? I regret everything that's ever come of it."

"If it wasn't for the kids so would I!" Helen cried, thrusting her hand into the air and pointing at the door, "_Out_!"

A few minutes later the sound of an unhappy man swearing under his breath in Italian could be heard down the hall as Helena turned to look at Vic, "...This is worse than a nightmare. I-I keep praying I'm going to wake up, but I'm not going to, am I?"

"...No. I wish it were different, but..."

"It's okay." She sighed, "It's not like you made him cheat or anything. All you did was catch him in the act."

"Yes, but is it such a good thing I did? You're so unhappy and-"

"It's better that I know, Q, trust me." She murmured, "What was he bagging on you about?"

Pink tinted his face as he looked away, "...He's under the impression I'm attracted to you, I suppose."

"Hm, I wonder why he'd think that." The Italian-American frowned, "I liked what you said about sleeping with me, though. I think it rattled his pride a bit even if it was bull. I mean could you imagine if it was true?"

Q kept his gaze on the carpet as he lied, "Of course not. I couldn't even begin to fathom something as odd as us being a couple."

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><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	18. Jealousy Is The Best Policy

**A/N I own nothing, nada, zilch.**

**Jeez, I'm really surprised at all the reviews this fic's been getting the past two chapters. I'd basically come to the conclusion no one was reading it and it would end up being a humiliating flop in my ff career. Thank you all immensly. **

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><p><em>"I am so freak'n done with this crap." <em>

_Vic looked up from his laptop and glanced at her wearily. "Done with what?" _

_"Being pregnant." Helena scowled as she put her swollen ankles on the coffee table in front of them. "It's done nothing but making me bitchy, hungry, and fat as a whale." _

_Q inwardly groaned but did his best to keep a neutral face. "Helen, you know you're not fat. There's a fetus inside of you that needs to grow. Naturally your stomach's going to expand as well."_

_"I don't care about the stupid technicalities." Helena huffed, "I just want my body to be back to the way it was." _

_"Would it help if I told you another one of my theories?" _

_"No, it would not." _

_"Would it help if I said I personally still think you're very attractive?" He asked without thinking. He silently hoped she didn't think about it too intently or notice the red beginning to color his face from embarrassment. _

_"Okay, that one helped a little." Helena admitted with a small smile. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow, her lips curled into a small smirk. "So how attractive do you think I am?" _

_"Um..." Q's mind blanked as he tried to find a way to answer without making it awkward or offending her. _

_Thankfully, -or depending on your point of view unfortunately- not a fraction of a moment later Helena suddenly winced, "Ouch." _

_"What?" Vic frowned, slightly thankful for whatever was happening. _

_"It's probably nothing." Helena said dismissively, "Just another stupid cramp. It's probably from the burger I had last night." _

_"...That doesn't sound good." _

_"Like I said it's probably just something I ate." The Italian argued, "I'm not due for almost another three weeks." _

_"Are you sure?" Vic persisted uncertainly, "I mean if you're really going into-" _

_Helena held up a hand to shut him up. "Vic, trust me on this; I am so not going into labor right now. A) I'm not due for another three weeks, B) My husband is on a business trip in Metropolis, And C), I'm not in the mood today." _

_"...You need to be in a mood to go into labor?" _

_"I don't know, I guess. I mean when was the last time you heard about a woman going into labor at a funeral or something?" _

_"Actually, in 2006-"_

_"That was rhetorical, Q." _

_"...I knew that." _

_"Of course you did." _

_"Are you absolutely certain you're not-?" _

_"Yes, Q! For the thousandth time I am CERTAIN I'm not popping out a kid today!" Huntress exclaimed, "Jesus, I only said it, what, nine times?" _

_He decided not to mention it had only been three times judging by her mood today. Perhaps she was right and women really did need to be in a mood for labor to occur. Vic made a mental note to investigate it after he'd completed his research on Ben and Jerry's. _

_An hour or so later, Helena was sprawled out on the couch fighting back a scream. Q looked her over uncomfortably, "Helena, I really think you should go to the-" _

_"NO!" She cried, biting her lip so hard it turned white as she dug her knuckles into the couch cushions. "No way in hell am I delivering a kid now! Not while my husband's away!" _

_"Then you might want to tell that to the child attempting to fall out between your legs." Vic snapped as he crossed his arms sternly, "If you refuse to let me take you to the hospital I'm going pick you up and carry you to the car myself." _

_"I really don't-" _

_"Helena..." _

_"...Fine." She sulked, standing up shakily as Vic offered her a shoulder to lean on. "Let's go to the damned hospital." _

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><p>"Want another glass?"<p>

Helena looked up at Vic, then back at the bottle of wine in his hand. "I better not. I already had two. What about you, gonna go for it?"

"Hardly." Q snorted setting the bottle down on the table. He gestured to the empty glass in his hand, "I have enough things to deal with without adding alcoholic to the list."

"Yeah." Helen sighed as she reclined out on the couch the two were seated on. "I guess. But what the hell, right? If everything's already going to hell then why not jump in and join the chaos."

"It's that optimistic attitude you have that I love."

"At least I have a soul, Ginger-boy."

"Breaking out the redhead jokes I see."

"You know me, when it comes to insults I'm armed and ready for action."

"Would it be hideously inappropriate if I made a joke about that?"

"Probably, especially since you make the worst jokes ever." Helena teased, "Remember that time I had to explain to you what a 'That's what she said' joke was?"

"...No."

"Liar."

"Well apparently I don't have a soul so there's no reason for me to tell the truth."

Laughing lightly she punched him on the arm, "Smartass."

"Just another one of my wonderful qualities."

"Along with your uncanny ability to go through people's trash?"

"That takes a lot of practice to do correctly." Vic huffed defensively, "And if done properly you can learn a lot about the person."

"I never doubted the purpose for a second." Helena replied smoothly, "I've known you long enough to know there's usually a method to your madness."

"Glad to hear that. For the most part I understand your methods as well."

"What do you mean for the most part?"

"What's the point of painting your symbol on your motorcycle? You'd be able to use it far more often if you didn't have to worry about someone seeing you on it and knowing you're the Huntress."

"...It looks cool."

"Ah, 'it looks cool'. Flawless logic."

She stuck her tongue at him and lay down on the couch, swinging her legs from over the side and resting them on Vic's lap. "You're so mean to me sometimes."

"_I'm _mean to _you_? This coming from the woman who once told me I'd be able to get a date if I changed my entire personality and dyed my hair?"

Her face fell as she looked away, "Yeah, but at least I didn't cheat on you and work for the man who ruined your life."

"No, you didn't." Vic said softly, enjoying the feel of her legs on his lap. "Not to sound nosy, but how's the divorce coming along?"

"Not to sound nosy? You're the biggest busy-body I've ever met." Helena remarked, "I don't know. I never thought something like this could happen to me. I mean I was always just so careful with guys, you know? I never tried to make it emotionally involved, I never said I loved you unless I knew without a doubt they felt the same, and if it got to serious I always broke it off."

"Then why didn't you do that with Roger?"

"It wasn't on purpose; I mean it wasn't like I was looking for somebody to love. It just...happened, you know?"

"Yes." He answered truthfully, "I do."

"Well that's more or less how it went down." Helena sighed, "Roger was just so perfect. I mean he was sexy, smart, good-looking, rich, Italian...it was like a match made in heaven. He was always the guy I pictured myself with when I thought of the ideal man."

"Oh."

"It always felt so natural, like that was the way it was supposed to be. We were good for each other, we got along well, the sex was fantastic, and for the first time ever my family approved." A small smiled flickered across her lips, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, though don't be surprised if I already am aware of it."

She lowered her voice subconsciously and whispered, "When I introduced him to my family and they approved, I almost dumped him."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Helena shrugged with a grin, "Call it my rebellious nature. I really, really cannot stand my family and it's kind of fun pissing them off. So when they told me that they didn't just approve of him but were thrilled we were together I was livid. The poor man couldn't figure out what he'd done to tick me off so bad."

"Well why didn't you break up with him?" Vic asked with a tad of trepidation in his tone.

"...Dinah told me it was a stupid reason to dump a guy." Helen sighed, "She said if I really liked Roger and we were having fun together then I should go for it. I should've known better than to take advice from someone who married a guy who cheated on her constantly when they were dating."

"Helena, don't-"

"Well it's true." She snapped, her mood suddenly bitter. "God, there were so many signs! How many times did he call and tell me he couldn't come home at night because he had 'work at the office'? His office closes at midnight! All those times we went to dinner or something and I saw him stare at all those other women! All those times I-..."

"You what?"

"Said I love you and he didn't say it back." Helen whispered, "I hadn't even thought about it until now."

"I'm so sorry."

"For what? Spending time with me when I was lonely?"

"No. Sorry that you went through that." He clarified, "Maybe that's your problem."

"What is?"

"You keep going for guys who you think are perfect for you." Vic explained, "All the sexy players who end up being nothing but garbage. Maybe you need to look at someone a little different."

"Different how?"

"Different as in someone who's the opposite of what you think you need."

He hoped she didn't realize he was referring to himself. While Vic wanted Helena to have an epiphany of some sort and start thinking of him the way he wished, helping her out by giving her a nudge in the right direction wasn't something he was above doing.

"So...The opposite of my type?"

"Exactly."

"So basically what you're saying is I should look for an ugly, broke, un-Italian, nerdy nobody who I have no physical attraction to at all?" Helena asked doubtfully, "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Q. That doesn't sound fun at all."

"There's nothing wrong with broke un-Italian men." Vic muttered, "Why not just give one a chance? Maybe...Maybe one you're close to?"

"No thanks." Helen sighed, "Especially since that won't help me with my plan at all."

"What plan?"

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, "My plan to get back at Roger. That asshole hurt me and now I want to hurt him right back."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Simple. I'm going to hurt him so bad he'll regret ever screwing me over. By the time I'm done with him he'll wonder what could have possibly made him ever want to risk getting in trouble with me."

"How exactly do you plan on accomplishing this?" Vic frowned.

"I'm going to beat his car to a pulp so bad he'll wish he'd never slept with that slut when he could have kept me."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Simple." She smirked, "I'm going to get a hammer and a few other...tools and beat the crap out of it."

"That's your big plan for revenge?" Vic scoffed, "Putting a dent in his car?"

"Excuse me?"

"You just seem so much more...cunning." Q shrugged, "I've seen you go ballistic on men and chop off their genitals for saying you weren't as good a fighter as Batman, but when someone hurts you in ways that aren't even describable you can't think of anything better than hitting his car with a stick? Thought you were more capable than that."

It wasn't a total lie. He did think she could come up with something other than that, hell he _knew _she could. Granted her plan was decent, but aside from the fact it would mean they could end up jailed doing something so high-school like seemed so...beneath her. As much as men loved their cars doing what she had in mind seemed oddly childish.

"I am! I just want to hurt him back, okay?" Helena frowned, "Besides, that's not the only thing I'm going to do you know."

"Hurm."

"Don't you 'hurm' me, mister. Why isn't that a good idea?"

"It's not a horrible plan or anything, but really...his car? That seems like something a catty cheerleader would do, not a strong, capable woman."

"...He really loves his car."

"Have a feeling he loves his genitals more."

"Okay wise-guy, what do you think I should do?" She snapped.

"Don't look at me. You're supposed to be the vengeful one, not me."

"I know its lame." Helena murmured with a defeated sigh, "But it's all I could think of for now. I can't have him get into an 'accident' or go out as Huntress and beat him to a pulp. He knows my identity, Vic, who I am. All I have to do is rub him the wrong way and he'll tell everyone. Do you know that would do to my kids? To my entire life? I barely get along with my family as it is and if they ever found out what I do..." She let her voice trail off, "Well, let's just say breaking a few bones on patrol would be the least of my worries."

"...Now I see why you were leaning more towards the car."

"Yeah, I figure they couldn't prove it." Helena admitted, "We live in Gotham, after all. The police will probably just blame it on some random thug."

"Ah, the courts in action I see."

"Pretty much."

"That's...horrible, Helen." He said quietly, "I wish there was another way you could get back at him."

"You and me both." Helena replied bitterly.

For a few minutes the two sat there in silence in Helena's living room listening to the sounds of the city drifting in despite the closed window. Helen fought back a sigh and lay as far back as she could go. Vic sent her a half amused half annoyed look, "Sorry, am I blocking your personal reclining space?"

She stuck her tongue at him in response and teasingly lifted up her leg and waved it in front of his face. "Damn straight."

A look of weary amusement flickered across his gaze, "Hurm, well next time I'll try to get out of your way so you can think better."

"That's all I ask."

With her last statement hanging in mid-air Helena went right back to thinking about how to get back at her soon to be ex-husband. She felt Vic place his hand on her leg and begin to rub it gently as though to calm her down. "Getting a little feely with my legs there, huh Vic?"

"They're very nice legs." He shrugged.

And suddenly, it came to her. At that moment she knew exactly how she was going to get back at that jackass for putting her through Hell. A wide smile spread across her face as the idea sank into her mind, thinking of how she could accomplish it and what she'd need.

Vic watched her smile wickedly and inwardly cringed as he wondered if she was about to play a trick on him. After all, she'd done it before. "...That's not a very settling grin, Helen. What are you thinking about?"

"I know how I'm going to get back at Roger." She grinned, "And it's perfectly legal, too."

"That's always a bonus."

"Oh, you have _no _idea." Helena purred as she sat up and placed her hands on his chest, pulling herself onto his lap and placing her face a few inches from his. "Would you like to hear what I have in mind?"

Q nodded dumbly inwardly hoping she'd announce they'd have to sleep together for real to get back at Roger. In that scenario not only would he get to get back at him but finally get Helena in his bed. Maybe she'd even enjoy it so much she'd want to do it again for pleasure instead of revenge. "What?"

"Remember how pissed Roger looked after you were yelling at him that you fucked me?"

"Yes...?"

"You know what that means we're going to do, right?"

"...No."

She glared at him, "Oh, come on! It's not that hard, Vic!"

"Are we going to sleep together for real?" Vic asked with more hope than he felt comfortable admitting.

"What? No! Ew, no offence but _hell_ no!"

Despite her asking him not to be, Q still couldn't help but feel offended. Was the prospect of being with him really _that _terrible? It wasn't like he had STD's or anything. And hey, he worked out. All that training left him with a pretty decent build. _Maybe Helen wasn't kidding me when she said I'd have to change my hair color to get a date. _Vic thought grimly to himself. _Or that until I cut it out with the Conspiracy theories I'll never get laid by someone who actually knows me. _

The look of insult that crossed his face didn't go unnoticed by Helena. "Sorry, what I meant is that it'd be too weird for us to actually sleep together. You're like an older brother to me, Q."

Damn it. He hated when women -especially Helena- said that. There truly was no greater insult then to be told the woman you admired loved you like a sibling. It was unsettling and slightly revolting. "Hm, so what's this plan of yours? You going to arrange for him to accidentally get shot?"

"No, I already decided that would lead to too many questions." Helena replied absently, "My plan is that you and I are going to pretend to be a couple."

"A couple of what?"

Helena fought back a groan of annoyance and socked him on the shoulder. "_A _couple, you idiot. You know, two people who are together?"

"Together as what?"

"As in they hold hands, have sex, and eat pizza together."

Realization struck, "You want us to pretend we're dating?"

"Why not?" Helen shrugged, "He already thinks we're screwing each other. Let's rub it in his face just to make it sting."

"And how do we pretend to be a couple?"

"I don't know, by doing couple-y things, I guess. Holding hands, kissing each other, maybe a little groping, the usual." Helena summarized, "We just have to make sure to really rub it in his face."

"...So I'll have to kiss you?" Vic asked slowly.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Helena snorted.

Vic shook his head quickly, "N-No, of course it's not." He silently hoped she didn't notice the blush rising on his cheeks, "You sure it won't be too weird?"

He had to admit the idea enticed him. The thought of Helena not only permitting him to kiss her but actually _wanting _him to do so was nothing short of unbelievable. How many times had he wondered what it would be like to smother her lips with his own? And now the opportunity was arriving on a silver platter.

"It shouldn't be. I mean we'll both know it's fake." She reasoned, "Why, do you think it's a bad idea?"

"No! No, no; I think it's brilliant." Q said quickly, "Far more clever than your previous plan."

"Glad you approve." Helena smirked, "So you'll do it?"

It was one of the few questions out there that didn't require even a tenth of a second to think about the correct answer. "Absolutely."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Before you all start thinking this is getting terribly cliché (which it is, but only a little bit. I think...), then stop. Trust me, I have a pretty good feeling the direction this fic takes will be surprising;) **

**A/N Review please! **


	19. Luck Of The Irish

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome:)**

* * *

><p><em>"Oh God..."<em>

_"What?"_

_"I'm scared." Helena whispered, "Do-Do you think the baby's going to be okay?"_

_Vic thought it over. From a scientific point of view he knew there was an 82% chance the baby would be born perfect (developing in Gotham automatically decreased the chance by ten percent) with ten fingers and ten toes, but what did okay really mean? Did it mean the child would look one way or act one way? Did it mean society's shallow definition of okay?_

_He looked at Helena's terrified face, "Yes, why wouldn't it be?"_

_"I don't know, Q. Maybe because it always seems like everything bad always happens to me?" Helena shot._

_"Not everything." Question protested, "As far as I know you've never been kidnapped by the Illuminati."_

_A startled laugh escaped her lips, "Alright, I'll give you that much. Is Roger here yet?"_

_"No, but I believe he's currently on a plane to get here."_

_Helena sighed, "Damn it. I really wanted him to be here for this."_

_"If it's any consolation I'll be here." Vic tried, "It's not the same, but maybe it's a decent substitute."_

_A small smile flickered across her face as she lay on the hospital bed. She took his hand on her own and squeezed, "Decent substitute doesn't cover it, Q. You mean a lot to me."_

_Vic's face turned red the second the words left her mouth. It wasn't fair, none of this was. She should have added that she loved him at the end of her confession and he should have been able to bend down and kiss her and tell her he loved her back. Then, Helena would have a quick, painless birth and their child would be born into the world with two parents who had loved it the way Vic's own hadn't loved him._

_He would never abandon his and Helen's child like his parents had abandoned him._

_But this was reality and reality was hell for him, so instead he was forced to tell her he cared about her too and that she was the best friend he'd ever had while she rubbed her stomach timidly and waited for her child's father to arrive._

_Vic knew it should have been his, not Roger's. He didn't want a child but to see Helena have one with another man hurt immensely._

_Pain wasn't just the problem, either. Pain had haunted Vic since he was a child getting the snot beaten out of him by the older boys at the orphanage or slapped by a nun for not saying thank you. Pain was something he could accept, though sometimes were harder than others. No, it wasn't pain he feared. He feared he would hate the child._

_He'd often heard stories of people bringing a new baby home to a house where the couple had owned a dog for years and the dog hating the baby. It would grow jealous of the attention it got and resentful of the way the child affected the dog's life. Sometimes the dog would go berserk and kill the baby which ended up in the owners hating the once beloved pet and putting it down._

_Vic knew there were differences, of course. For one he was a man, not a dog, plus he knew there was no way in hell he'd ever harm Helen's child intentionally, but the resemblance still loomed. He already was jealous of the way Helena fawned over it and saw the entire thing as just another guarantee that he and her would never be more than friends. Vic didn't like the child one bit, but he loved Helena and didn't want her to know that._

_But what if she couldn't find the time to talk to him anymore and they ended up seeing each other less and less? What if she never put on the Huntress uniform again and he was left with no one else to patrol with? What if Helen simply just did not want to see him anymore?_

_Regardless, Vic knew for certain that he wasn't happy about the situation. If Helena had to have a baby at all he would have infinitely preferred it to be his, not another man's._

_"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." A nurse said as she entered the room, "We're about to inject the epidural and a few other drugs to help speed up the birth."_

_"Drugs? You're going to _drug _her?" Vic asked in disbelief, "No way in hell am I letting you so much as-"_

_"Q, relax. It's okay." Helena soothed, tightening her grip on his hand reassuringly. "I read up on all this already. It won't hurt me or the baby, okay? I'll be fine."_

_"No." Vic shook his head furiously, "Don't believe any of the garbage you've read or heard. Nothing more than the agencies who manufacture these drugs telling you it's okay to become doped out of your mind and screw up your child's life."_

_"Vic, come on. I need it." _

_"No, you don't." He argued, "Helen, you don't know anything about the drug or the company manufacturing it. You don't know it could do to you! You could be out under mind control, killed, poisoned, and who knows what else. I-Roger will be a wreck if something happened to you." _

_"Vic, you have to-ah, listen to me." She winced, "I'm in so much pain, Q. It-it really hurts. I just need it so the pain will stop, alright?" _

_"I-I…" He searched in vain for the right words feeling completely torn. Vic hated to see her in pain, but what if the drugs hurt her? "I don't know if-" _

_"Listen!" Helena growled, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him down so they were face to face. "I'm trying to squeeze something the size of a damn cantaloupe out of an opening the size of a grape! For once just cut the bullshit and give me my freak'n drugs!" _

_"But I don't want them to-" _

_"VICTOR!" _

_"Fine." Vic scowled, "Just give her the damn drugs." _

_Helena reclined back into the hospital bed, "That's all I ask." _

* * *

><p>Roger's fingers drummed against the wooden table lightly as he stared at the paper in front of him.<p>

The lawyer seated across from him looked at his watch expectantly, "Sir, when is the other client going to be-"

"Soon."

"Ah. Well, if you're sure."

This time Roger didn't answer. Truth to be told he had no idea whatsoever if Helena was coming on time or even if she was coming at all. He had thought about calling her in the morning when he awoke but decided not to. After all, a one o'clock appointment was hardly something that was easy to oversleep for.

Ten minutes later the lawyer opened his mouth and said, "Look, I have to get going. I have other clients that need-"

"Sorry we're late." Helena called as she opened the door.

Roger frowned. 'We're'? What the hell did she mean by that?

His question was answered when Helen entered the room, her hand intertwined with the redheaded bastard who apparently had been giving it to her on the side for the past few months.

"Sorry, Vic and I would've been here earlier, but we got a little...distracted in bed." She scooted closer towards Q and nuzzled his neck, "Didn't we, baby doll?"

"Y-Yes." Vic stammered, "Uh, there was a fascinating weather report."

"Oh yeah, horny with a chance of foreplay." Helen smirked, "And a 90% chance of rain and sex."

Roger tightened his jaw and glared at them silently. He could have sworn Helena was faking this entire thing to screw with him if he hadn't seen that stupid blush on Vic's face. The bastard.

Vic, on the other hand, was finding today to be surprisingly wonderful compared to the normal crap that he went through on a daily basis. He glanced over at Helena and saw the happy, triumphant look on her face and couldn't help but grin.

He tightened his grip on her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Warmth flooded through him as he felt her smooth, velvet skin brush against his own. This was better than he could have ever imagined it to be. Granted, it was all fake and for show and the moment they wandered out of his sight she'd most likely drop his hand like a cold fish and he'd feel disgusted with himself, but for now it was quite a pleasant sensation.

Not to mention the look on Roger's face was priceless.

The lawyer, Jonathan Morgan, looked up at the 'couple' and raised his eyebrows, "Right... So, everyone present is in agreement about this separation?"

"Yes." Came the collective answer.

"Good." He crooned, turning to Helen and Q. "Why don't you two sit down?"

Helena nodded and went to sit down before she felt Vic's hands tug at her waist. To surprised to resist she felt him pull her onto his lap. She looked up at him curiously, taking note of the light hint of red on his cheekbones. "Thought it would be something a couple would do." He muttered quietly enough so only she could hear him.

"Gotcha." Helen whispered, snuggling closer into his chest and resting her head against him.

From across the table Roger glared at Vic with so much hatred Helena expected Q to catch on fire or turn into a block of ice. _Hope you feel so jealous you turn green, jackass. _She thought venomously.

Vic slipped his arms uncertainly around Helen's small waist and held her against him. It may have all been fake, but it felt so damn right. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest and the light warmth of her breath against him. At the moment it felt great, but it wasn't enough.

Nothing was ever enough when it came to Helen. When she touched his shoulder he wanted her to wrap her arms around his neck. When she gave him a light, friendly peck on the cheek he wanted to gather her into his arms and give her a kiss no mere friend ever would. When she hugged him he wanted to slam her body against his and hold onto her forever.

He wanted every part of her for himself and no one else.

"Right. Well, let's get started, shall we?" Jonathan asked, "First things first, what is the reason for the separation?"

"Adultery and affiliation with the Mafia." Helena replied curtly, "And failure to please in bed."

"Please." Roger snorted, "I got you so hot you forgot your own name."

"So cheating?" The lawyer said quickly. Having a fight among his clients wasn't how he wanted to start this meeting.

"_And_working for the Mafia." Helen added, "I hate Mafios and he knew that!"

"You're family was in the damn Mafia!"

"I hate my family too!"

"I can see why they want to get divorced." The lawyer whispered to Vic who nodded in agreement.

"Helena, calm down." Roger ordered, "Throwing a tantrum like a child isn't going to get this done any faster."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down you jackass! Besides, if anyone's throwing a tantrum about anything it's you!"

"Your maturity along with the stunning intelligence in your comebacks is outstanding."

"You son of a-"

"Calm down, Helen." Vic said as he tightened his grip on her to prevent her from moving. He bent his head down and kissed her on the neck quickly, loving the feel of it all. This entire situation was in his favor for once and the revenge he was getting was so very sweet.

Helen's muscles gradually relaxed as she calmed herself down. It felt odd to be like this with Vic even if it was all just a show. Feeling him kiss her was...weird. Almost like kissing a brother, but with a lot more passion; even if the passion was really fake.

"I know, baby. I just get so...emotional sometimes." Helena murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him sweetly. She could feel Vic press his own lips against hers eagerly as his hand cupped the back of her neck and the other rubbed her back.

He was a damn good actor, she had to admit that. If Helen didn't know better she'd swear it was real.

Reporting the news on television must have given Vic some pretty great acting skills.

"Must you do that in front of me?" Roger sighed in disgust as he watched the display of 'affection' between them. "I'd like to leave here with my food still inside my stomach."

"Jealous much?"

"You wish."

"Can we please get back to signing the papers?" Jonathan pleaded, "Have you decided who gets custody of the children?"

"I do." Helena said instantly, "My babies stay with me."

"They're my children, too." Roger frowned, "What if I want custody?"

"The courts see who's more fit to raise a child and works a compromise out." The lawyer explained.

Helena narrowed her eyes, "You're not going to try and fight me, Roger, are you? I'd hate to see you get hurt in an accident."

"And I would hate to see you're little secret be spread around Gotham."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, "But-But if you did that then the kids would be in danger too! They could end up being killed!"

"Time and time again you've told me how selfish I am and how I don't care about them." Roger said carelessly, "I suppose you were right."

The card he held over her made Helena want to rip his head off, but no matter how angry she was there was nothing she could do. For now, Helen had to be patient and tricky.

"Why don't you two try and seek out joint custody?" Jonathan asked, "That way you both end up seeing them."

Roger waved off the suggestion, "No, it's alright. They'd probably be safer with Helena anyways."

Yes, he worked for the Mafia. Yes, he wasn't the most honorable person around. But did that mean he didn't love his kids? No. Roger's earlier remark about Helena being right about him not caring for them had been a jab to get her angry. Truthfully he loved his kids and didn't want to see them hurt. That's why, no matter how much he had grown to hate the lying slut, he would allow them to live with Helena and her fuck-toy Vic.

The thing was Vic seemed happy as hell to be Helena's little sex-toy. The freak probably got off knowing Helena didn't mind using him for her pleasure. Why was he even surprised; he'd known all along Vic had been harboring a crush on his wife.

Correction, his _ex_-wife.

"Good, then we can move on." Jonathan smiled in relief, "Who would like to discuss the property and financial aspects of this marriage?"

"We both go back to what we had before." Helena explained, "I made him sign a prenup that if this happened for some odd reason I'd get all the money and property that is rightfully mine and he would get what was rightfully his."

"Well what if I've changed my mind?" Roger frowned, "Maybe I decided that I don't just want what's mine."

"Excuse me?"

He watched Vic rub her back soothingly and felt his temper rise, "What if I want your money too? Would I be able to get it?"

"Possibly." Jonathan answered.

_"What?"_

"In America prenups are iffy at best." The lawyer explained to Helen, "What's agreed to before the marriage rarely holds water during the divorce."

"So you mean I might lose my inheritance?" She gasped in disbelief.

"It's possible."

"Well, as far as money goes I have to say I'm quite a lot more partial to keeping it than the children." Roger admitted with a small smirk that drove Helena insane with fury. "If there's a way for me to get the Bertinelli fortune, well...obviously I'm going to go for it."

Her eyes flashed with anger but before she could launch at him and rip his limbs apart she felt Q slip a hand onto her outer thigh and gently stroke it. "Don't go ballistic until we at least exit the building. Getting into a fight in front of a lawyer in a legal office isn't the smartest choice." He whispered.

She forced herself to take a deep breath and plastered a blinding -and false- smile on her face. "Roger, sweetie." Helena began, her voice as sweet as sugar, "Don't you think it would be better for me to keep my money so I can take care of the kids? After all, I'd hate to see you take it and end up with the rest of my family furious at you for taking it."

It was a low move, but all was fair in love and war. Or to be more accurate, hate and divorce. The rest of Helena's family wouldn't take to kindly to see the fortune of one of their greatest bosses stolen by a man who had betrayed the last of the Bertinelli's, and even though Helen and her family rarely spoke Roger knew it wasn't a good idea to mess with them.

"You're a real bitch, you know that?"

"Yes."

"As much as I hate to break of this loving discussion we really need to get back to the paperwork." Jonathan pressed.

"Hm, and I need to get home and get this one into my bed." Helena purred as she gave Vic an 'affectionate' kiss on the neck.

"Not unless I take you in the car."

She blinked in surprise at the statement; Q being anything remotely flirty went against the natural order of the Universe. She titled her head questionably and he merely shrugged, "Doing what you suggested, aren't I?"

Well...he had her there.

"Could you keep it on your pants long enough to get these damned papers signed?" Roger snapped.

"Only if I get what's rightfully mine."

"Whatever, but I want to be able to get anything in the house I might have purchased."

"Fine. Your taste was awful, anyways."

"Not as awful as your cooking."

"You basta-"

"Helena, relax." Vic said, "You'll be out of here soon enough and then we can get home and...spar."

"Fine." She huffed, reclining back into his arms. "But only if it's naked sparring."

The image of the two of them doing what she had suggested flashed into his head and for a moment Q felt dizzy. God, he wanted her! The sooner this was done with the sooner she could begin to heal and, if he was lucky, look for someone else to spend her life with.

And when that opportunity presented itself, Vic had every intention of making damn sure Helena knew he was interested.

"So we've decided the house goes to Ms. Bertinelli, the money goes to whoever earned it or had it previously, and the children are in custody of their mother, correct?"

"Yes."

"Anything else you would like to discuss?" The lawyer asked.

"Yes, how much would it cost for someone to hire one of the best lawyers in Gotham to represent them in a case?" Roger asked.

"Depends on what they did?"

"Let's say for example they were in the Mafia."

Helena rolled her eyes fought back a weary sigh. Great, not only was she stuck in a room with her ex-husband but she was stuck in a room with her ex-husband talking to a lawyer about things she could have cared less about.

As the two men talked Helena felt Q trail his hand lower and lower down her back and around her waist until he reached his destination. It would have been fine with Helena as long as his destination wasn't her ass. She straightened up instinctively and prepared to smack him in the arm to tell him he was taking it too far when she felt him squeeze her.

A surprised gasp emitted from her lips causing the two men to pause their conversation and look at her. "What?"

"Nothing." She replied quickly before turning her gaze to Vic and hissing, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Watch."

Her frown deepened when Q said that. She didn't want to watch, she wanted him to get his grabby hands off her ass and behave himself. Aside from slightly violated she couldn't help but feel surprised and a little disappointed. Vic had always seemed like such a gentlemen, the kind of guy who would behave himself if you invited him in your home. But if even he, of all guys, was taking any opportunity he could find to feel her up then maybe all men really were dirt bags.

He'd better have a damn good explanation for this.

His hand circled around her backside lazily, occasionally squeezing or pinching the firm flesh and earning him light squeaks and swats on the shoulder from Helena. Aside from getting to feel her where he wanted to, doing this was getting quite a few looks from Roger. Helena didn't even realize the small scene they were making which would make it so much better when they were called out on it.

Q's hand traveled semi-reluctantly from her rear to her hips, resting possessively on her thighs. Fighting back an erection he slipped on hand between her legs and lightly began to stroke her thigh.

Helena let out a tiny groan, instinctively rocking her hips against his touch. She knew this was all for show, but that didn't mean it didn't feel good. Besides, there was something oddly erotic about another man doing things to her right in front of her ex-husband to rub it in his face that she was no longer his.

"Vic." She murmured, blood rushing through her body in ecstasy from not being touched for so damn long. "N-Not here."

"But I want it to be here." He mumbled, his lips brushing against her ear. "And I want you to do it to me as well."

The remark earned a slight whimper from Helen as she reached up and kissed his neck, barely fighting back the urge to give him a few new bruises and scars. There wasn't any time she could think of where she loved or hated Vic more than at this moment.

She loved him for being one of -if not the simply- the best friends she had ever had and being there for her. For doing what she asked even if it put them in odd situations and involved fake emotions.

Helena had never hated him so much, either. What he was doing was completely inappropriate. She might have been a flirt, but she wasn't a whore who let men she considered good friends rub their greedy hands so close to her most secretive spot.

But it felt so damn good.

Vic, on the other hand, had never felt more unsure or aroused in his entire life. This was taking it too far and he knew it. Even though the goal was to make Roger jealous practically fingering Helena in front of a well-respected lawyer and her ex-husband was too much.

Still, his hands seemed to have a mind of their own as one cupped her rear and the other stroked her inner thighs. A shiver shot down his spine as a finger accidentally brushed against her silk panties before he quickly retreated and went back to feeling her warm skin. If someone had told him two weeks ago that soon he'd be tagging along with Helena to sign her divorce papers and would end up getting to paw all over her and slide his hands under her skirt as she sat on his lap he'd of called them crazy.

This said something considering his own struggles with sanity.

Sex was a conspiracy, no doubt about it. The act was all part of Mother Nature's sinister plan to keep mortals from growing to distant from feelings and desires and to revert them back to their most basic instincts in time of arousement and loneliness. He knew it was all a plan to make him needy of heat and friction, but dammit he needed it!

Even now he had half a mind to tear off those soft, silk panties and shove his fingers right into-

"What the hell are you two doing?" Roger exclaimed.

Vic's face turned red with embarrassment as he quickly drew his hands back around Helena's waist. The furious and slightly hurt look on Roger's face caused a feeling of pure triumph to flood through Vic and suddenly he didn't feel ashamed of what he'd done. After all, he'd been trying to make Roger jealous.

Pink tinted Helena's cheekbones as she stood up straight, flustered. For a moment the thing had seemed real, but then it hit her that Vic _knew_ Roger had been watching them and decided to make him as jealous as possible. Helena hadn't felt so proud of Vic in quite a while.

"Entertaining ourselves. As fascinating as it was sitting here and hearing you talk about money and law we got bored and, well..." She smiled coyly, "You know how it is when you love someone."

"No, I don't." Roger scowled in disgust. "I'm done with this meeting."

"Luckily for you we've covered just about everything we needed to cover." The lawyer nodded, "I'll need you two back in court in a few weeks to get a judge's approval, but you're more or less divorced."

"That's great!" Helena exclaimed, throwing her arms around Vic's neck and kissing him while making sure Roger got a good look. "Isn't it, baby doll?"

"Fantastic." Vic muttered after she broke apart before pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately.

After they broke apart for the second time, he snaked his arm around her waist as they moved to leave the room. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Roger glare at him and couldn't resist bending down and giving Helena a kiss on the cheek.

As they walked across the parking lot and towards his old car, Helena looked at him and said, "Where did you learn to act like that? If I didn't know better I would've thought we were really together."

"I report the news on television every night, Helen." He shrugged, "Guess I picked up a few things."

"I'll say." She murmured as he opened the door for her, "Did you see the look on his face? I thought his head was going to explode."

"Wish it did." Q said as he climbed in the driver's seat, "Bastard deserves it."

She smiled softly and put a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you. Not just for this, but for everything. You've really helped me through a lot of shit these past few weeks."

His face reddened slightly at the compliment as he started the car. "Yes, well...Don't like seeing you upset, alright? You mean a lot to me."

"I know, and you mean a lot to me, too." Helen admitted with a grin, "You're my dork."

After a few moments of comfortable silence he said, "Sorry for, uh, you know."

"For what?"

"Uh...that thing with your, um, thighs." Q clarified as he loosened his tie and avoided eye contact, "It was completely inappropriate for me to do."

"Just a little." She agreed, "But its fine. Did you see that stupid look on his face? You pulled it off so good I think he thought you were giving it to me under the table."

His blush deepened, "Just trying to help you out."

Helena smirked, "Maybe, but I bet you liked it."

"Uh..."

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Are you really going to tell me you didn't?"

Thankfully he took notice of a car that had been behind them for a few blocks now. Some might have dismissed it as a coincidence, but he wasn't a fool. "We're being followed."

"What?"

"Your ex is following us." Vic repeated.

"What?" Helena cried, "Why?"

"Probably to see what we do now." He guessed, "And on that note what _do_ we do now?"

She thought it over before a smile spread across her face, "We go to my apartment."

"Why?"

"Because, Viccy, we're going to teach him that he had no right to follow us and make him never want to again."

"How are we going to do that?"

"You'll see."

* * *

><p>Not two seconds after they had parked Vic's car in front of her home, Helena reached over and gave him a long, deep kiss. "Remember that little suggestion you had about us sparring?" She whispered into his ear.<p>

"Y-Yes?"

"It's going to happen."

Before he could ask her what she meant Helena threw open the door, grabbed him by the hand, and dragged him into the apartment. "Roger wants to know what you and I do while we're alone; fine. He's going to get a hell of an eyeful."

"What do you mean?" Vic asked as she locked the door and turned to face him.

"He parked the car on this street a few houses down." She reported, "That bastard! He brought a pair of binoculars to watch!"

"Watch what?"

"Us. Or, to be more specific, us having sex." Helen frowned, "Well if he wants it he's going to get it."

"...We're going to have sex?"

"Sort of." She replied as she grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs. "There's a giant window in our room and you can see everything that happens in our bed if unless we keep the lights off and close the curtains, and right now that's going to work towards our advantage."

"How so?"

"Simple. We keep the lights on, close the blinds, and make it _look_ like we're having sex."

Vic tried to get his head around the concept, "So you want him to _think _we're having sex?"

"Exactly."

"Ah, and how do we do that?"

She flung open her bedroom door and headed straight for the curtains, "You turn on the lights and I'll close the drapes. I want him to get a damn good look at this."

He didn't ask her what she meant. He'd find out soon enough.

Vic did as Helena instructed him to do and flipped on the switch as light flooded through the room. His gaze instantly fell onto the large bed in the middle of her bedroom as he thought about getting her naked and into that bed beneath his own nude body.

Helen finished fussing with the purple curtains and turned to face him. "Okay, Q, this is how it's going to work. You and I are going to kiss and fake foreplay before getting into bed together." His body heated up as she continued speaking, "We're going to undress each other, but not completely, just enough so it _looks _like we're naked. Then we're more or less just going to pin each other down with some sparring techniques and make it look like we're actually screwing each other's brains out."

"Sounds..." _Hot, sensual, erotic, arousing, sexy, good, _"interesting. I'm up for it."

"Good. Now pin me against this wall, okay?"

She didn't have to ask twice. Without a second thought Vic darted over to her, pushed her against the wall, and began to kiss her. Helen wrapped her arms around his neck in response while making sure they were in clear view of the window. Once she saw Roger sitting in his car with a pair of binoculars glued to his face she swung her leg around Vic's waist to turn up the heat.

Vic's kisses traveled from her lips to her neck as he pushed himself against her. "Is that okay?"

She thought about how insanely jealous Roger would feel and about how hot his mouth was. "Fantastic."

"Good." Without another word he slid his hands around her waist and lifted her other leg around him so all her weight was divided between him and the wall he was supporting her on.

Helen ran her hands through his fiery red hair and kissed his shoulders, her mind constantly thinking about how red Roger's face must have been in anger.

Q had thought about how good it felt to get back at Roger as well, but now his mind was completely focused on Helena's perfect body beneath him. How many times had he dreamed about taking her against the wall? How often had he wondered what it was like to kiss those full lips?

To many times, that was for sure.

Though deep down he knew this wasn't quite the kiss he had wanted, it was a pretty damn good substitute. Helena was rotating kisses between his shoulder blades and his neck while her long, long legs were firmly wrapped around his waist.

It was almost to arousing for him to take.

Which was probably why when Helena told him it was time to undress each other, he wasn't sure if he heard right. "What?"

"We have to undress each other." She repeated, "Not completely, but enough so it looks like we're naked."

"O-Okay." He panted, nodding his head as though it made perfect sense. With trembling hands he uncertainly reached for her shirt and held a button between his fingers. "Are-Are you sure?"

"Why not? After all, you've seen me in a bikini before. It's the same amount of skin." She reasoned.

Though it was technically flawless logic, that didn't stop his hands from shaking as he nervously unbuttoned the first button on her blouse. Then the next one, and the one after that. If anything as more and more cleavage was shown he felt his hands tremble more and more.

When he saw the outline of the middle of her bra he had to stop for a moment and nuzzle her neck. This was beyond erotic, but he had to remind himself it was fake. If he kept going like this Helena was going to end up feeling beyond confused.

He went back to tackling the buttons.

* * *

><p>From inside his car Roger watched them with growing fury and anger, yet he couldn't look away.<p>

He paused his watch to drink a quick swig of water before grabbing the binoculars once more and staring at their silhouettes behind the curtain. He watched as Vic took of her shirt and began doing God only knew what to her.

In Roger's hand, the water bottle he'd been holding crumpled.

* * *

><p>Back inside their bedroom, Helena was trying to decide what the weirdest thing about all this was. After being unable to decide if it was Vic kissing her topless body or herself kissing him she decided to give up.<p>

"Come on; time to go on the bed."

"Yay." He whimpered.

Helena slid off of him and placed her hands on his chest, pushing backwards until he reached her bed and fell on the mattress with a dull thud. She slid on top of him and straddled him between her legs before bending down and kissing him.

Vic kissed her back almost dreamily as his hands caressed her thighs. She suddenly stopped and sat up. "What?" He asked.

"Should I take your pants off first or should you take off mine?"

The response was instant, "Mine."

"Got it." As her hands unbuckled his belt Q fought back an erection by trying to think about the evil corporation who had surely manufactured this bedspread for their sinister purposes. It was working alright until Helena slid his pants of effortlessly, climbed back on top, and whispered, "Okay, do me."

"Um..."

"I meant to take off my skirt, pervert."

"That's not helping." He muttered, tentatively unzipping the zipper in back before letting it fall.

At that moment he was grateful she had opted for bikini-style underwear instead of a thong. He didn't think he could have taken it if she had worn one given the circumstances they were in.

Helena looked at him gazing up at her admiringly, appreciating the body she worked so hard to have. For a moment she felt almost...shy as Vic looked at her. But within seconds it was gone and Vic was flipping her over so he could get on top.

"What are you going to do, tough guy?" She smirked.

"Uh...dominate?"

"Let me back on top."

"Why?"

"I want to look like the dominating one."

"Fine." He sighed, letting her role on top. He miscalculated and they accidentally rolled off the bed and onto the floor. "Shit!"

"Dummy." Helena teased, placing her hands on his chest. "Vic?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You said that already."

"I know, but...really. I mean it."

"I know you do, Helen, and I meant it when I said you're welcome." His face softened, "I-I care about you immensely and you know I'd do anything for you."

"I can tell." She laughed gently, "We're sitting here on my bedroom floor on top of each other practically naked to trick my ex-husband to think we're dating so he gets jealous. Not a lot of people would do that."

"I'm not like most people."

"I've noticed."

With that said she gestured for him to get up and the two once more lay on the bed. She felt Vic slip his hands under her stomach and flip her over his shoulder so his hips were above her back. "Got you."

"Not bad." She admitted, grabbing his shoulder and twisting so her knees rested on his shoulders before using it as a way to flip over his body and rest on his chest. "But I'm better."

It went on like that for the next half an hour, the two of them seeing who had the best pin-downs as Roger watched them with growing hatred. Through it all Helena felt better than she had in a while, not just because she had finally separated from the man who had caused her so much pain and got to roll around with a half-naked and surprisingly buff Q while teasing him for half an hour, but because she had done both while getting back at Roger in the process.

"Alright, you win." She groaned in defeat as Vic chuckled and slid off of her. He wiped a light sheen of sweat off his forehead and stared at her flushed and beautiful face before taking a second to study her breasts. Though he was a bit disappointed her bra hadn't slipped off during their 'romp', he was still grateful for getting to do this at all.

"Told you I would." He smirked, lying back on the bed. "Now what?"

She bit her lip in contemplation, "I don't want him to try and shoot you or anything when you leave. Maybe you should spend the night here."

"...With you?"

Her face reddened slightly at the note of suggestion in his tone. "Not in a sexual way or anything, I mean it's not like we never have before."

"Okay...if you want to." Vic nodded slowly.

"I mean you don't have to, I just thought-"

"It's fine, Helena. Just try to get some sleep, it's late."

"...Okay." She murmured, suddenly extremely self-conscious. Somehow this made what they had just done seem so silly. Holding each other in bed would be infinitely more intimate because of how personal it was.

"You want that side or this one?"

"This one's fine."

"Good." He said as they went to separate sides of the bed. Helena bit her lip as the light went off and he slid next to her, pulling the covers up over them. For a few moments the room was dead silent until a light squeak from the mattress was heard as Helen scooted a little closer towards him.

At his questioning look she fumbled around her mind for an excuse. "It's...cold."

"Yes...it is." Q agreed, reaching for her. "Better keep each other warm."

"Yeah, I mean we wouldn't want to get each other sick."

"No, that wouldn't be good."

"Night, Q."

"Goodnight, Helena." He murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist. Helena felt herself relax and snuggle against him, suddenly comfortable. That is, until she felt something hard and warm press against her back. "Um...Vic?"

Vic felt his face grow red. Whatever higher being that had spared him the utter humiliation of having an erection while sparring with Helena had apparently left. "Uh..."

"Is that...?"

"...Um, yes." He admitted, mortified with himself. "It's, uh...It's been awhile."

"...Maybe you should go sleep in the guestroom."

"Good idea." Q agreed as he quickly got out of the bed and left the room.

"You know there's lotion in the bathroom if you need to-"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? That's a pretty good one."

"Thank you. And yes, I'm sure."

"Okay...I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

"See you in the morning." He called as he ducked out of the large room in embarrassment. As he did so he couldn't help but think, _Luck of the Irish my ass._

Sometimes his bad luck even surprised him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Yeah...this update took forever. However it wasn't because of my laziness, it was because I mixed up my deadlines and should have had this done a week ago. Sorry for my stupidity, but I made it extra long and sexy as a peace offering:) **

**A/N Review please!**


	20. Scars

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

><p><em>"Ma'am, we're going to need you to push now."<em>

_Helena looked up and gave the doctor a glare of death. "What the hell do you think I've been doing? Aren't you idiots supposed to be smart?"_

_The man in the lab coat bit his lower lip. "We are smart, ma'am, we meant you're going to need to push harder."_

_"That son of a bitch!" Helen yelped in reference to Roger as another contraction hit her. "Ow, damn it!"_

_Vic looked over at her in concern, "What is it?"_

_"THE BABY YOU IDIOT WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS!" Helen shrieked, "Oh God..."_

_Q inwardly cursed the world for not only putting Helen through this but making him stand here and be yelled at. Not only did he have to be verbally beaten down by Helena but after all of this there would be no reward. No grateful kiss, no Helen by his side. Just a screaming infant he resented and Helena's shouts echoing around in his ear drums._

_"Shit!" She cried, "Vic, get over here and give me your hand!"_

_"My hand?"_

_"Well I'm not going to squeeze your balls!"_

_"Eh, okay." He muttered, walking up to her and offering his hand. Without a second thought she yanked it and constricted his palm with her own until he thought it might break. "Ouch! Hey, that hurts!"_

_"YOU CAN TALK TO ME ABOUT PAIN WHEN YOU HAVE TO POP A DAMN CHILD OUT OF YOUR ASSHOLE!"_

_After that remark he wisely chose not to comment anymore about the way his hand was turning blue. Q watched her in slight fascination as she bit her lip and groaned, her face contorted in pain. He wanted to go back in time and stop her from getting pregnant, to stop her from marrying Roger, and to stop her from dating him. At that moment he wanted to go back to standing on the docks and blurt out that he cared for her as far more than a friend and to just prevent this whole mess from starting._

_But he couldn't._

_The more he thought about it the more bitter he felt. It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair, of course, but this just...wasn't fair. They were so much better for each other than she was with Roger, why couldn't she see that?_

_A soft cry pierced through his thoughts and sent him spiraling back to reality where a doctor was announcing it was a boy. Q fought back the urge to steal away Helena and run away so the two of them could be what they should have been all along and timidly glanced at the scene in front of him._

_The doctor placed the infant in Helena's trembling arms as Vic quietly avoided looking at them and focused instead on the ground. He didn't want to see Helena's son and feel pain. He wanted to kick pains ass and make it stay away from him. No more hurting, no more wondering what life could be like with Helena; just himself living alone on a mountain pain free and for once feeling happy._

_"Oh, Vic. Look at him." Helena whispered._

_And, against his better judgment, Vic did._

_It was nothing like he had imagined it would be._

_For one the child looked like a mirror image of Helena with dark brown eyes and a mess of raven hair. He looked up at his mother tiredly and seemed to be wondering what the heck was going on._

_No, it wasn't anything like he expected at all._

_Vic had expected to feel jealousy, hatred, and resentment when he saw Helena's child, but that wasn't what he was experiencing at all. When he saw Helena holding her new child and staring at it so damn lovingly as she poked its belly he didn't even see it as Roger's. Instead, he saw his own son laying there in Helena's arms. _

_Maybe it was because he looked so much like his mother. Maybe it was because he was looking at everything so curiously with eyes that were already so intelligent. Maybe it was the way Vic and Helena looked at each other as if they knew one of the most precious things a person could experience had occurred between the two of them. Whatever it was Vic didn't feel jealous of Helena's new child. Instead, he felt love for his and Helena's new son._

_"He's-He's beautiful." Vic choked out. "Just like you."_

_Red tinted Helena's cheeks as she tore her gaze away from Vic and back towards her son. "Well I don't know about me, but he is. Thank you for being here for me."_

_"I'll always be here for you."_

_"I know."_

_He turned his gaze back to the child -their child- and felt an undying love for him as well swell up in his chest._

_He'd always be there for the both of them._

* * *

><p>Waking up was always the worst part of Helena's day.<p>

She could never decide if it was being yanked out of the safety of her subconscious or the physical and mental pull it took to hull herself out of bed and start a new day, but whatever it was it was never a pleasant sensation.

Mentally complaining about the unfairness of the entire concept of awakening, she sat up and ran a hand through her hair to smooth out the tangles. Her chocolate eyes blinked open as she stared at her room.

Helena took a moment to allow herself to get a grip on where and who she was. As she fought through the general fogginess of her clouded head the memories all poured back, some happy and some sad.

Lately it seemed almost all of her memories were sad.

Refusing to be whiny or helpless she decided to stop inwardly bitching about how sad an unfair life was. After all, sadness was hardly a foreign concept. Who cared how much of it was there?

She slid out of her bed and onto the warm carpet floor when she noticed a shirt tossed carelessly on her dresser. A very, _very_ familiar yellow shirt.

_What the hell? _She thought as she walked towards it. _Why is Vic's shirt-oh, duh._

Sometimes morning fogginess was a real pain in the ass. Just another reason to hate mornings.

Vic's shirt was on her dresser because last night she'd been taking it off him and pretending to have sex with him to get her ex-husband jealous. The thought made Helena's lips twitch into a small smirk. She'd have given anything to see the look on Roger's face as the pervert watched the two of them.

But why wasn't Vic with her in bed? She could have sworn she'd invited him to spend the night.

_Because you excited the poor man so much he couldn't control himself. _Her inner voice chided her. _I wonder_ w_hich one of us felt more awkward last night when it happened?_

Probably Vic. He was always weird when it came to sexual stuff.

Speaking of Vic, where was he? Had he left in the middle of the night or gone into the guestroom like she'd suggested? Curiosity won over as she slipped out of her room and into the hallway.

"Q?" Helena called.

She wasn't surprised when she didn't hear an answer. Q's face flashed into her mind as she remembered the way he blushed and fumbled while he stumbled out of her room in mortification. Poor man.

Still, it never hurt to check. After all Vic had a habit of always keeping her on her toes and surprising her.

"Vic?" She asked as she knocked on her guestroom door. "You in there?"

A low groan greeted her in response and for a moment Helena feared she had once again walked in on Q having a sexy dream. Except, this groan was different. It wasn't pleased or lustful; it was fearful and sad.

She opened the door quietly and peered in to see Q lying in her guest bed, his face contorted in terror and sweat dripping down his chest as he thrashed inside of it.

When it dawned on Helena that he was having a nightmare she realized she had no idea what to do next. Should she wake him up or leave him be?

"Mmf." Vic grunted, "No... You can't... S-Stop..."

"Vic?" Helena murmured as she timidly entered the room and walked towards him. "Q, are you okay?"

"P-Please, don't... N-Not that..."

"Victor?" She didn't know if she'd ever even spoke his full name out loud before, but at the moment it seemed fitting. She'd never seen him like this and it was beginning to scare her.

"No! I-I'll do any... Just stop, please... N-No more... N-No!"

"_Vic_!" Her voice was more urgent this time, more scared. Helena placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, "Come on, Q. Wake up!"

"_STOP!"_

Helena jumped back as though stung as Vic awoke with a roar and sat straight up in the bed, his chest rising up and down frantically as sweat poured from his pores.

For a moment he didn't look like Vic, her calm friend who loved nothing more than to chat about the Conspiracy and had spent the night with her when she was drunk to take care of her. Instead, she saw a crazed man the equivalent of a caged animal with his senses on overdrive as his eyes wildly looked around the room.

And, for the first time in the many years she had known him, Helen felt afraid of Vic.

"Q?" She whispered.

He whirled his head around and stared at her in confusion. "H-Helena?"

Slowly, the Italian-American nodded her head. "Yes."

He looked at her for a moment and then took a deep, shaky breath. "S-Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't." She murmured, sitting down on the bed next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." He panted. "Could-Could you leave me alone for a few minutes?"

"Only if you tell me what that was."

"...Nightmare." Vic muttered as he hung his head low. "Nightmare and memories."

"Memories?" Helena frowned. "Memories of what?"

"Cadmus."

The quiet, defeated tone in his voice haunted Helena as she recalled the entire fiasco and the torture of her friend. "What about Cadmus?"

"The torture."

"You never talked to me about it."

"I didn't tell anyone about it."

"Why?" Helen asked quietly. "Didn't you have someone you could have at least-"

"No."

"Well you had _me_."

"No I didn't." He whispered. "I couldn't _really_ tell you about it."

"Why the hell not?" She demanded.

"Because you had just become engaged to Roger and for the first time in a long time were happy as hell." Q explained bitterly. "All you ever did was talk about how great he was and how happy you were. I'm not blind, especially with human behavior. For the first time in who knows how long you felt happy and I didn't want to bother you with my problems."

"Bother me with your problems? Vic, they tortured you!"

"I am well aware of that fact."

"So what did they do to you?" She asked finally.

"...I-I don't quite remember all of it." He admitted. "But what I do is...awful."

"I'll bet." Helena murmured, her hand gently touching his chest. "What do you remember?"

"It was...Hell." Vic began hoarsely, his eyes glazed over in painful remembrance. "Not the kind with demons, but worse. The entire world was an apocalyptic wasteland. Luthor had killed Flash and it all went to hell. The League snapped, so many were killed. The entire planet was in Chaos. But that was just one of _Them_."

"One of what?"

"The simulations." Q croaked. "God, there were so many of them. Every time they made me watched one it was always worse than the previous, _always_. 'Tell me what you know', he told me. And I did, oh did I tell him what I knew. Told that son of a bitch_ everything_."

Helena felt her heart break as she saw the expression on his face. "What do you mean you told him everything?"

Vic let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "He wanted me to tell him everything I learned about their little club. Oh, but I played him. I played him good."

"How?"

"He said, and I quote: 'Tell me what you know'. He never said just what specifically I knew, so I told him everything I could think of. The aglets, Kennedy's magic bullet, toothpaste, fluoride, just anything I could think of to prevent them from learning what I knew."

"How did they take that?"

"...Not very well." Q whispered. "They-They refused to stop until the machine broke the first time. I don't quite know how long it was, but it felt like ages. Half of my ribs were already broken by Luthor and the visions were more or less killing my mind in addition to my body. While rebuilding the simulator they threw me in a... Well, I'm not quite sure what it was but it looked like a glorified kennel. Then Waller thought that since the visions weren't enough it was time to get physical."

He took a deep breath. "She sent the Suicide Squad in and let them each take a few swings at me. By that time I was so tired, so damn tired, I could barely defend myself. Wasn't allowed to eat. Wasn't allowed to sleep. When the captain finally knocked me out I was thankful I was getting some rest. But then I woke up."

Helena grasped his hand with her own. She had always wondered just what had gone on during Vic's torture at Cadmus, but she never thought it would be quite this bad.

"Moon announced that he had improved the machine while they hooked me back up to it." Vic continued, "The guards strapped me in and slid the cups onto my head for the visions, but then they..."

"They what?" Helena asked gently.

"They started strapping on electric cords, as well." Q rasped. "Every time I saw a simulation electricity was shot through my body in addition to it. Waller said it would be easier to break me if they destroyed my sanity and my body all at once."

The brunette silently cursed them all to hell as she leaned against Vic. Half of her wanted him to stop talking and let her hold him like she wanted to, but the other half wanted to know every painful detail of his ordeal.

"Go on."

"Everything was blurry after that." He breathed out hoarsely. "Couldn't even tell you how long I was there for. But it was hell, alright. The things they made me see..."

_Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask! _A part of Helena begged. "What did they make you see?"

To her surprise Vic let go of her hand and threw off the sheets as he hopped off the bed. Before she could ask him what he was doing he slid his hands under his undershirt and pulled it off. A massacred torso coated in ugly scars and a few newer wounds glared back at Helen's stare as she felt her stomach lurch.

She knew Vic had scars, of course. Just last night she'd noticed them. But she had never taken the time to truly study them and see just how deep they ran, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Why hadn't she ever taken just a few seconds and just honest to God _looked_?

_Because you didn't want to. _A little voice whispered in the back of her mind as she stood up to face him. _You knew he was hurt and didn't want to admit that just maybe you felt guilty about not being able to help your best friend besides Dinah in the world._

"In this one, the Illuminati had fully taken over the world and enslaved humanity." Vic said quietly as he took her hand and placed it on a scar on his shoulder. "Here, we had become the Justice Lords and ended up killing humanity." He moved her hand onto a jagged line across his chest. "There, Tot, Myra, Richard, you, and everyone else I cared about had died and I was the only one left."

Her breath caught as he moved her hand over a particularly painful looking faded burn on his stomach. "I went insane and killed you and everyone I loved." The indent on his arm. "Mandragora broke free and slayed you at the docks the night we put him away." A white scar on his left peck. "Superman was once again under mind control and murdered half of the planet, including Lois." The still bright burn on his side from so long ago. "Our dau-A little girl was killed by me after I slipped back into old habits with pills." A mark on his abs. "Illuminati captured the two of us and forced me to watch their leaders rape you." The dash across his collar bone. "Couldn't do anything as I watched you be enslaved and beaten by Thanagarians."

Vic stood up straight and looked her in the eyes. "Everything I had ever been afraid of was burned into my mind and body. Literally."

"That's...That's..." A word to describe just what had happened escaped her, but she tried anyways. "Horrible. Vic, God, why didn't you tell me? Have you really kept it to yourself for all these years?"

"Of course." He replied tonelessly. "Don't tend to go around bragging about my torture, Helena."

"I mean have you really been through it all alone?" She pressed in disbelief. "Vic, I know you're strong but you needed help."

"No I didn't. J'onn helped me block some of the memories so I could get some decent sleep."

"That's not what I mean." Helena frowned. "You needed someone you could've talked to, someone to comfort you. Damn it, Q, why didn't you tell me after it happened?"

"I already told you. Didn't want to take away your happiness."

She fought back a shriek of annoyance and fury. Didn't he understand that she would have rather known he was having trouble with it than prance around obliviously and happy?

"You still should have told me."

"Telling you now, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Her voice trailed off guiltily. "Now the pain's gone, Q. It feels like I'm too late to help you."

"Helen, you told me once that pain never truly goes away. It lessens and fades with time, but never goes away." Vic reminded her. "Cadmus rarely hurts me anymore. The memories and nightmares are still..." _Terrifying. Horrible. Ghastly. Nerve racking. Bloodcurdling. Awful. _"unpleasant, but they don't happen too much anymore."

"Anymore?"

"They came every night for five years, more or less." Q confessed faintly. "Didn't think they would ever go away for a while."

"I thought you said J'onn helped you?"

"He did, five years later when I begged him to make them stop. Said I didn't care if he saw everything just as long as the damn nightmares went away. Knew he wouldn't look, of course. He didn't do it the last time I went to him for help, but-"

"What did you go to him for help for?" Helena asked, cutting him off.

"Someone placed a bomb in the Watchtower and I was investigating it." It wasn't technically a lie, he'd done that too. But the time he had been referring to he had been asking J'onn to make his feelings for Helen go away. Not that he could tell her that.

Correction, he couldn't tell her that _yet_.

"So you just kept your mouth shut and suffered?"

"More or less." He shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal, Helen. Everyone has scars."

"I know, but... I really wish you had told me." She whispered. "I feel like I just left you out to dry when you needed someone."

"Don't ever think that." Vic snapped more harshly than he had intended. His grip on her hand tightened as he ordered, "Don't _ever _think that. You rescued me, Helen. You saved me from them and took me away. _You _sat with me and said it would be okay. Nobody else but _you _did. You saved me."

"I think you're over-glamorizing it." Helena mumbled, not comfortable with being complimented for something like that.

"That's how I see it." Q stated firmly. "You've been a good friend to me, Helen. Probably the best one I have and ever will. Never think you don't do enough for me."

"If you're sure..." Helen trailed off, still not convinced.

"I am." He assured her, bringing the hand he had been holding up to his lips and kissing it tenderly. "Come on, I think I've dumped enough emotional baggage on you for this morning. Breakfast?"

"Sure, there's a Denny's down the street."

As Q began to lecture her on the dangers of Denny's and who _really _owned them, Helen followed him out of her guestroom and through the hall with a light smile on her face. She cared about her old friend, no doubt about that. While his ability to hoard away information she would have liked to know to help him irked her, Helena knew that Vic had his reasons.

Vic was a strange guy and always had been, but that was no excuse for him to simply accept pain and deal with it on his own. As he continued describing the chemicals the restaurant used for their eggs and the way it controlled the population Helena's mind flickered in and out on what he had been saying. Sure Denny's was fascinating, but her brain kept reliving how soft and reassuring his lips felt against her skin, even if it was a purely chaste little peck meant to make her feel less guilty.

Helen quickly shook the memory out her head. Vic might have been a doll but thinking about him like _that_ was too weird, even for her. It wasn't like Q was ugly or anything, because to be honest he was pretty damn attractive, but thinking about a man she'd been through so much with and ate so much Chinese food while discussing insane theories together was too odd.

When she at least tried to picture her and Vic and...that, her mind recoiled far too quickly and repulsively for Helen to even try and imagine it. Vic was simply a good friend and nothing more.

Even if he did have incredibly soft lips and the cutest little butt Helen had ever seen.

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><p><strong>AN Look who's getting her butt in gear and updating faster:) Care to reward me with a review, folks?**


	21. French Kisses

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for reviewing:)**

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><p><em>"Charles."<em>

_"What?"_

_"I want to call him Charles." Helena said quietly, staring at her newborn son nestled in her arms. "Charlie for short."_

_"…That's my name."_

_"I know it is, dummy." Helen smirked, "I'm saying I want to name my son after you."_

_Vic stared at her in disbelief. "Why?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Helen, I'm serious." Q frowned, "What could possibly possess you to name your child after me?"_

_"You're my friend, Q, and a damn good one at that." She smiled, "Besides, if I name him after you then maybe he'll grow up to be as cute as you."_

_The tips of his ears burned red at the compliment. "Not exactly a model image of the word 'cute', Helen. You don't have to name him that because you feel like you owe me or something, okay?"_

_"Just shut up, Vic. I'm naming him after you whether you like it or not."_

_"...Thank you." He whispered, "That...That is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."_

_"You deserve it." She replied with a tired grin. "Now get over here and look at your nephew."_

_The word 'nephew' stung, but Q tried to shrug it off. While it was hardly a groundbreaking revelation that Helena did not love him they way he wished and chose to spend the rest of her life with another man, it still hurt. He loved her and wanted her to feel the same._

_Vic had already made a deal with himself that he would take care of her and her son the best he could, but that didn't say much. From the second he had laid eyes on Helen's infant he'd promised himself that genetics didn't matter and that it was every much of his own son in the way Helena was his woman. In reality both beliefs didn't hold water, but reality had never been too great to start with._

_So inside this tiny little hospital room he hid from the truth. Here, Helena loved him beyond words and had just given birth to their son. A beautiful, healthy little boy who looked so much like her anyone could see they were related. They would take him home in two days and Vic would have a family for the first time in his life. Here little self-lies and fantasies were infinitely preferable to the truth._

_"Isn't he a doll?" Helena asked, her face beaming with pride._

_Vic took in the child's pink face, chocolate eyes, and curly raven hair. He could tell by the way his chubby hand was curled into a fist that he would be a fighter, too. Just like his mother. "He's so...small."_

_"He's a baby, Q. If he was big then it would be pretty hard to squeeze him out of my-"_

_"I get the picture." Vic replied, gently cutting her off. "Do you really want to name your son after me?"_

_"Of course I do. Charlie _is_ your first name, isn't it? I know everyone calls you Vic now, but-"_

_"Charles is legally my first name, yes."_

_"Mm, I think Vic suits you better."_

_"So do I, hence me going by my middle name."_

_"One more thing, if you don't mind." Vic raised an eyebrow and nodded for her to continue, which she did. "If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind being the Godfather? I know it's odd since Dinah is the Godmother and normally Ollie would be Godfather by default, but I trust you a hell of a lot more than Queen."_

_"Certainly springing a lot on me." Q chuckled uncomfortably as he rubbed his hands together and looked down at his feet bashfully._

_"Sorry, if I'm asking too much than just-"_

_"It's fine." He murmured, "Just...wasn't what I was expecting. Love to be his Godfather, and if you really want to name him Charlie..."_

_"I do."_

_"Then it's up to you."_

_"Thank you." Helen smiled softly, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek. "You're as much of a doll as Charlie is."_

_Vic reddened and turned away._

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><p>"You know after everything we've been through you think we'd be able to agree on dinner."<p>

Vic looked at her and frowned. "I told you, we can't go to the _Américains Stupides Venir la Chercher_ because the place is run by the French Mafia."

"There is no French Mafia!"

"That's exactly what they want you to think."

Helena closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to try to calm down. No matter how many times she explained to Vic that no, there was no French Mafia, or that not every restaurant in the city was out to destroy its costumers, she knew it would be futile. Vic was almost as bad as she was when it came to being stubborn.

But the key word was _almost. _

"You promised me that we could go grab a bite at something _besides _McDonald's after patrol tonight!" She protested.

"Yes, as long as the establishment of your choosing _isn't _tainted by a higher power bent on destroying our way of life."

"Ooh, you can be such an ass sometimes!"

"Likewise!"

The next ten minutes were spent walking in angry silence. Helena huffed at the unfairness of it all and crossed her arms over her shoulders, staring at anything but Vic. Stubborn bastard.

Q buried his hands deep into his pockets and glared at the sidewalk as though it had been the cause of this stupid spat. He didn't want to fight with Helen; he wanted to work on winning her over. On the other hand, he sure as hell wasn't going to that damn French restaurant she wanted to try.

You could never trust an eating facility where snobby men wore guns and carried crescent rolls.

Still, walking her to her apartment while she was angry wasn't going to help either one of them this evening.

Vic decided to at least try and apologize. It wasn't his fault, but he'd learned years ago it was better to just let Helena think she'd won to stay on her good side. "Still want to eat something before you go home?"

"That depends on where you plan on taking me." Before he could respond she added, "And it can't be a place with a drive-thru either, wise guy."

"Well what are you in the mood for?"

"Mm, something sweet and light."

Vic fought back the urge to smack himself on the head. Why did women have to be so complicated? A simple 'Chinese' or 'meat' would have been sufficient, but 'sweet and light'? What the hell did that even mean?

At his confused expression Helena clarified, "Not a heavy meal, just something to fill me up, like coffee."

"Why didn't you simply say so?"

"I did!"

"Yes, but you said it so...feminine."

"Feminine?"

"Yes, I couldn't even understand it."

She laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder, the sounds of the city at night (or morning, depending on your perspective) muffling it, much to Vic's dismay. He always had a soft spot for her laughter, though to be honest he had a soft spot with almost everything when it came to Helena.

Except her taste in music. 80's rock was so_ not_ his choice of tunes.

"Coffee, eh?" Vic asked, "Don't really know where to get any untainted caffeine in Gotham."

"The great and almighty Question _doesn't _know something?" Helena gasped in mock disbelief as she smacked her palm against her cheek. "But how can that be? You know everything!"

"Shut up."

"Aw come on, you can't blame me for rubbing it in, can you?"

"Yes."

"Well doesn't that suck for you? Anyways, if you still want to join me I know a little cafe down the street with the best muffins on the planet."

"How do you know? Have you tried every muffin on the planet?"

"It's an expression, wise guy." Helena scowled, "And if you don't knock it off you're not getting anything. I'll make you wait outside for me in the cold."

"Helena, have you investigated this establishment at all?" Vic questioned, raising a thick eyebrow. "Do you know what they put in caffeine? There's a reason it's so addicting. For all you know you could be strolling in there and purchasing nothing more than liquefied meth."

Helena rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him towards the small cafe nestled in the corner of the dim street they were walking on. He followed her with a frown on his face, but inside the building nonetheless. If there really was something going on here (which there _was_, he could feel it) then it was best to follow her in there for protection against the evils of the java bean.

That, and he needed an extra boost of energy, too.

"You take it black, right?" Helen asked as she wrinkled her nose. Personally she hated black coffee; it was too strong.

"Yes." Q nodded as they approached the tired looking cashier. "Helen, are you sure this is a good id-"

"Vic, we're getting coffee. Deal with it." She ordered as they reached the counter. Helen eyed the cashier wearily and looked at the menu as she fished around her pockets for money. "I'll have a number 12, please. Cream with two sugars, and a pumpkin muffin."

The man looked at them and Vic tensed. It didn't really bother him that they were in a seedy part of town or that he had the eyes of a heroin addict. No, Q was preparing for the Illuminati to spring their trap (subtly, of course; Illuminati agents were always subtle) and try to lock them in their clutches. God only knew how much ground they could stand against the Cadre.

"He want anything?" The cashier grunted pointing to Vic who shook his head and took a step away from the counter just to be safe.

Helena gave him a look between a glare and a weak acceptance that no, she was not going to get him to drink coffee, and sighed. That dammed man. "No, he doesn't."

"That'll be $4.79."

After a few moments of scourging around in her pockets she found what she was looking for and handed him a crisp five dollar bill. "Here."

As he turned around to prepare to go fix the Italian her order, Helena turned to Q and placed a hand on her hip.

"What?"

"You whine and bitch about how hungry and thirsty you are but when we get to a place that serves food you refuse to eat it because it's 'evil'?"

"Excuse me for not wanting to perish at the hands of java."

"Sometimes I swear I'm going to kill you one day."

"You guys married?" The cashier snickered as he poured Helen's cup of coffee and watched the two bicker. "You fight like an old married couple."

"No, just friends." Helen replied curtly.

"Mhm, I know I go out for coffee with all my friends at four in the morning."

"Just shut up and give me my damn drink."

"Sorry, just trying to make conversation." He apologized as he handed her a steaming cup of Joe and a small paper bag with the outline of a pumpkin on it. "You gonna give me a tip?"

"Here's a tip: learn some decent grammar." Helena snapped, snatching the bag out of his hand and stomping over to an empty table. Which, considering the time, was easy as pie. Vic shrugged at the man half-apologetically before following her across the room and into a recluse booth in the back.

"That guy was such an ass." She muttered as she slid onto the padded seat of the booth. "Can you believe the nerve of him? What, was I buying a coffee or playing Twenty Questions?"

"Apparently a bit of both." Vic chuckled as he sat across from her and took of his hat and gloves. He supposed he could have left them in his old car, but he always felt lost without them. It was better to just hold them instead of risking losing them to a car burglar.

"Whatever. I'm just glad I got my order." Helen admitted as she opened her back and the sweet scent of pumpkin instantly filled the air. "God, I'm starving."

Vic watched her open her mouth and take a wide bite, his inner teenager whispering what she could do to him with that mouth in the back of his mind. He quickly shook it off (with a little help from the fierce bite she took, but only a little) and grinned.

"What's so funny?" Helena demanded through a mouth full of pumpkin muffin.

"You." Q smiled, "Don't think I've ever met anyone who enjoys food as much as you do but has a body that would make Kim Kardashian feel insecure."

"Thanks, I think."

"Just an observation."

"I'll bet." She smirked, propping up her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her palm. "Do you observe my body a lot?"

"No! Well, sometimes, but..." He trailed off uncomfortably and looked at what was left of her food. "Don't you have a muffin to inhale?"

"Hm, I like the way you didn't answer my question."

"You just like making me uncomfortable." Q accused her with a frown. "Besides, I'm The Question, not The Answer. You can't expect me to have a reply for everything."

"But you find out answers by asking questions." The Italian-American pointed out.

"Yes, but without an answer a question can't exist. Every answer has a question and every question has an answer. Why is the sky blue? Why does one get cancer instead of someone else? Why does anything happen? Who knows."

"You just said there's always an answer!"

"Never said I knew it."

"You're giving me a migraine." She complained as she finished off the last few bites of her muffin. "I swear Q talking to you can be dangerous for people's sanity."

"Hurm."

Noting a pause in the conversation Helena decided to take it as an opportunity to take the first swig of her drink. She brought the cup up to her full lips and gently blew on it to cool it off. As amazing as these always tasted trying to slurp it down without waiting would do nothing but burn her tongue. Hardly the most painful thing she'd ever endured, but annoying nonetheless. Not to mention it would prevent her from successful being able to savor the delicious flavor.

When she finally deemed it cool enough to drink without harming her taste buds, Helena carefully poured the steaming drink into her mouth and smiled at the taste. Nothing on Earth was better than a good cup of coffee after a hard night of patrol. Well, there was sex, and the feeling of power that came with breaking bones, and when men stared at her the way they did she felt pretty damn great too, but good coffee was still high on the list of the great things in life.

Vic watched her with an amused look on his face as she sipped the drink again and let out a moan of appreciation. "Are you having an orgasm or a cup of coffee?"

"This stuff's good enough to be orgasmic." Helen grinned, shaking the cup in his direction. "You want a sip?"

"You mean put caffeinated sludge into my body? Think I'll pass."

"Don't be a stubborn ass." She chided, "Even if it is sludge it's sludge with caramel and a bit of chocolate all in one cup. Come on, I know you'll like it."

"Oh do you?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

He peered into the cup and frowned. "What is it?"

"It's called a French Kiss. I get them every time I come in here and nothing ever happens to me so they can't be that bad."

"Maybe something did happen and you never noticed."

"Just take a damn sip!"

"I don't-"

"Vic, come on." Helena pouted, widening her eyes and fixing her best puppy-dog eye plead. "For me?"

Pride filled her as the last of his resolve broke away and his face softened. "Fine." Q grumbled, reaching across the table for the cup. "Only for you. And if this gives me some sort of neurological bug-"

"Then I'll stomp it for you with my heel." Helena replied smoothly.

Vic decided not to tell her that her offer made absolutely no sense at all and simply stared at the beverage in his hand. He could practically feel it already seeping through his veins and travelling into his mind. It smelled pretty damn good, but that couldn't be anything more than a mask for the true evils it hid. He _really _didn't want to drink it.

"Come on, Vic." Helen prompted, "You promised."

Q sighed, mentally and physically braced himself for the latest assault on his body, and took a small sip. To his surprise it didn't taste half bad. Granted, a bit too sweet for his taste, but still pretty damn good. "Not bad."

Helena's face broke out into a beautiful, triumphant smile. "Ha, told you that you'd like it!"

"Congratulations, it seems you were correct."

"This is why you need to try new things and get out more." She told him in an all-to-motherly fashion. "You need to come here with me more so we can have ourselves a few more French Kisses."

The reason behind the expression on her friends face didn't make sense until Helena thought a little harder about what she had just said. Once the double meaning sunk in she felt her face pink (not that she knew why; she never blushed, _ever_) and immediately began to backtrack. "Not like _that_, I meant the drink, not actually us... Umm..." She quickly tore her gaze away from him and looked at the table in fascination.

Vic always thought himself to be a clever man, but at the moment a witty response escaped him. What did one do when a close, attractive female friend of theirs informed them they wanted to swap saliva? He knew that wasn't how she meant it, but even Q knew it came out a little more awkward than intended.

"Told you coffee was evil."

Helen broke out into laughter, this time the hint of color on her cheeks being from mirth instead of embarrassment. "Y-You're right. It-It _was _a bad thing to drink."

"Glad you finally agree. Now if you excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

"Going to go get the rest of it out of your system?"

"That's the plan." He nodded, getting up and walking towards the other side of the cafe where the men's room was located.

Helen glanced back at the half-filled cup of coffee and chuckled to herself. She liked making Vic uncomfortable, but when the tables were turned she could do without any awkwardness at all. It was funny keeping Vic on his toes, but annoying when he did it to her.

Or, even worse, when she did it to herself on accident.

Vic was certainly more fun to tease. She'd poked fun at Roger before, but it was never too entertaining. She liked the way Q acted when she talked about sex, how uptight and gruff he was. The man probably just needed to get laid and then he'd loosen up. But first she'd have to find him a girlfriend...

The moment the thought entered her head, Helena frowned. She wasn't too keen on Vic having some skank around him and acting all lovey-dovey in front of her. On the other hand, he had never been too interested in other women when she hung around him. Come to think of it, he never seemed to be too interested at anyone at all.

Weird.

"Are you with that guy who just left?"

The question startled her. "What?"

She looked up to see a woman standing next to the booth, her hands placed on her hips. The woman's face seemed to contort into defeat as she got a look at Helena. "Ugh, why?"

"Why what?" Helena asked, looking over the other female. She was reasonably attractive, but nothing to special with dull caramel-colored hair and light brown eyes. She could afford to drop a few pounds, but wasn't overweight. Healthy was a good word to describe it.

"Why is it every time I see a cute guy he's got a girlfriend?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Your boyfriend over there." She scowled, "The one who went in the bathroom."

"Oh, you mean Vic?" Helen deduced, "He's not my boyfriend."

The brown-eyed woman rolled her eyes and looked at Helen skeptically. "Right, because I'm sure guys go out for coffee with their model friends at four in the morning all the time."

"He is _not _my boyfriend." The Italian argued. "We're just friends."

"...Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Then could you give him my number?" She asked hopefully, fishing around her leather purse for a pen and a scrap of paper. Helen watched, stunned, as she proceeded to jot down seven digits and handing it to her. "Tell him to call me."

"He...won't be interested." Helena blinked, still surprised. One thing for sure was there was no way in hell Q would be calling her. Who the hell hung out in cafes this late at night? The little slut was probably a prostitute.

"Please?"

Something tugged at the bottom of Helena's stomach when she thought of Vic and this woman together. Something unpleasant. This woman would date Vic over her dead body. She didn't know why it bugged her so much, but she knew she couldn't let it happen. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because...he's gay." Helena lied, mentally applauding herself on thinking of such a clever excuse. "He likes men, that's why we're just friends."

"Damn it! Isn't he just a_ little_ into woman?"

"Nope. Every time we go shopping I have to keep him from hitting on the male sales clerks." Another lie, but it was out of protection. This woman would go on a date with Vic, she would sleep with him, she would get him to trust her, and then she would break his heart. Q didn't take abandonment well (probably because he'd been ditched at an orphanage by his own parents when he was just a baby) and would be devastated. She was doing this to protect Vic.

So why did she feel like she had successfully marked her territory when the woman left?

After being unable to think of an answer Helen simply stared at the table silently. "You okay?" Asked Q as he re-entered the booth. "You look odd."

"Fine." Yet another lie. "Let's go, I need to get back to the kids."

"Alright." He agreed, standing up. "Would you like a ride home?"

"I think I'll walk." She replied quickly. Spending any more time with Vic seemed like a bad idea at the moment, though she still couldn't figure out why.

"It's really not a problem."

"I'd still rather walk."

"Okay." Vic sighed in defeat, bending down and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow night."

"See you." She murmured, watching him go and crossing her arms in front of her chest. She could still feel the light caress of his lips on her cheekbone, but she didn't want to dwell on it. Want being the operative word. The image stayed in her mind.

But, the same way Vic with another woman made her stomach churn, Helena couldn't figure out why.

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><p><strong>AN Read and Review please:) **


	22. Death Of The Boss

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thanks for the reviews:)**

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><p><em>The thing Vic had realized about dreams, especially good dreams, was that in the end he always had to wake up. Even if he wasn't physically asleep, the concept was still the same.<em>

_Which was made evident yet again when Roger walked into the hospital room and reality offered a brutal punch to his face._

_"It's about time." Helen murmured, tilting her head up to give her husband a kiss._

_"Sorry, there was a storm and my flight ended up delayed." Roger apologized, "Where is the little guy?"_

_Q tensed as the words left the man's mouth. He looked down at the infant in his arms and felt his protective instincts scream in protest. He might not have been the father in the most traditional sense, but this was still _his _child. He didn't want to have him taken away._

_"Vic's holding him."_

_Roger turned to the redhead in the corner, or more specifically what he was holding, and broke into a wide grin. "There's my boy!"_

_"His name is Charlie." Helen smiled softly, still drowsy from the anesthetics._

_"Charlie." Roger repeated, tasting the name. "Where'd you pull that from?"_

_As Helen explained to him her decision about naming their child after her friend, Vic stared at the baby in his arms. He didn't want children, he couldn't take care of a child, and he was far too broke to even consider having one, but at that moment he would have given anything for it to be his own son. Correction, his and Helena's own son._

_"Let me see him." Roger demanded eagerly walking towards Q without taking his eyes off him. "God..."_

_"Isn't he gorgeous?"_

_"Men aren't gorgeous."_

_"Shut up. He's not a man yet, he's my little baby boy."_

_"Whatever." He breathed, "Jesus, he's tiny. Give him to me."_

_The redheaded man froze, unconsciously tightening his grip on the baby. It wasn't fair. He had been there for Helena through the entire thing right up to when she fell into labor. He didn't want to simply give up the infant in his arms._

_"Let me see him." Roger demanded, this time with more force._

_"Q, let him hold his son." Helen frowned._

_"But..." Vic trailed off uncertainly, unsure of what to say or what to do. Why did Roger have to come back, anyways? He would have taken his place as Charlie's father and Helena's lover in a second._

_"Vic, let me see my damn kid!"_

_Q cast one more look at the infant before slowly handing him to his real father. Helena peered at him from across the room in puzzlement. He knew she would demand an explanation from him later, but right now all he wanted to do was buy a bottle of scotch and drink himself to sleep._

_"Sorry, got a little distracted."_

_"I could see that." Roger scowled, but it quickly melted into a dazed grin as he looked upon his new son. "I finally did something right."_

_Helena smiled and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, we both did."_

_Vic couldn't take it anymore. He tried to be a good man, he tried so damn hard, but what was the point of pretending to be something you're not? This world was so damn fucked up and it would never get better. He had been a fool for ever even wishing he could have a future with Helena like the one she shared with her husband._

_"I-I think it's time for me to go."_

_Helen looked up and frowned. "Are you okay? You've been a little weird tonight."_

_"Don't like hospitals. Too many bad memories." Not quite the truth, but not a lie either. He did hate hospitals._

_"Are you sure you don't want to stay?"_

_"No. Seems like too much of a family thing." Vic admitted, "We're...well, we're not family."_

_"We might as well be."_

_He smiled sadly. "Might being the operative word. I'm going to head out before the cameras lodged in HV units record to much about me."_

_"Okay, I guess. I'll see you later."_

_"Alright." Later indeed, but not tonight. Tonight there was a bottle of scotch with his name on it sitting in his kitchen cabinet. It was probably a bad idea to drink when he was upset, but what the hell was he supposed to do? Talk to his girlfriend about how he felt?_

_The thought made him chuckle bitterly. Vic was a lot of things, but he wasn't the type of man to talk about things with anyone. And a girlfriend? Please. At the rate he was going he would die alone in a coffin without ever being laid again._

_Oh yes, he would definitely be having a drink tonight._

* * *

><p>"So how have you been?"<p>

"Fine."

"No, really. How have you been?"

"I just told you, fine."

Dinah glared at her friend from the other side of the rooftop the two were perched on. They were technically on patrol, but there was so little activity that it felt more like waiting for your order to arrive at a restaurant. The two women hadn't seen a lot of each other lately and Dinah missed it having another female to talk to. After all, there was only so much she and Ollie could discuss.

But apparently Helena had forgotten that best friends were supposed to tell each other everything. The stubborn vigilante was keeping her mouth shut about her life since divorcing her husband. Frankly, Dinah was getting sick of it. She wanted to know the gossip, damn it!

"Helena..."

"Dinah..."

The blonde glared at the brunette furiously. "You can be such a bitch sometimes. Just tell me what's going on with you!"

"There's not too much to say." Helen shrugged, "It's over, plain and simple. He cheated on me and was working for Mandragora and I want nothing to do with him after that. End of story."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You haven't tried to have make-up sex or anything?" Dinah probed, hungry for more details. "Maybe marriage counseling could help you two out?"

"No to both." Huntress sighed impatiently, "Dinah, there's _nothing _to be fixed. I don't want anything to do with his sorry ass. We're over with."

"I thought you didn't believe in divorce?"

"I don't believe in divorce when the couple gets tired with each other. When one of them is a cheating son of a bitch working for the man who killed the other one's parents I make an exception. You have no idea how much he hurt me."

"Helena..."

"Do you know how much I hate myself for trusting him?" She whispered, "How badly I wish I had seen it coming? How-How the hell could I be so goddamned _blind_? It was all right in front of me, all of it. I should have known when I found that damned thong but I ignored it and-..."

"I know how you feel." Dinah murmured in comfort. "When Ollie cheated on me I was...devastated. It wasn't his fault and I know that bitch Shadow who drugged him made him do it, but still. Even though it was rape that didn't do anything to stop the pain. I couldn't imagine ever loving him again or letting him back into my bed. It was like a slap in the face for every time you said you loved them or thought about them."

"Pretty much." Helen confessed, "Look, I don't want to talk about it. Poor Vic's ears have already been chewed off by me and I don't need yours to be too."

"Hm, how did Vic react to it?"

"He was the one who really found out. I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what he did, but he wasn't too thrilled to tell me."

"Who could blame him? I'd be afraid you'd either kill me or go ballistic and hunt Roger down."

"I kind of wish I had." The brunette sighed wistfully, "Sleeping with Vic that night only accomplished so much."

"You _what_?" Dinah exclaimed in shock and disbelief. How the hell had she managed to go almost seven months without hearing this?

"Not sleep together like we had sex, I mean we literally slept together." Helena explained, "I got drunk and he took me home."

"Saying that isn't exactly helping you right now."

"I thought I was the pervert."

"Couldn't resist." Dinah shrugged. "So how did you of all people sleep with a guy without, you know, sleeping with him?"

Helena glared at her. "Gee, I'll try not to be too offended by that. I don't know, Dinah, most of it's a blur. I just remember getting hit on by some sleazebag and Q coming to pick me up and take me home. I think I yelled at him and kicked him out but then..."

"Then what?"

"I didn't want to be alone." Helena admitted quietly. Had it been anyone but Dinah she would have left it at that, but she'd been best friends with the woman for a good fifteen years and trusted her. Obviously she didn't tell her _everything_, but Dinah had a pretty good summary of everything about her friend.

When it truly came down to it, Helena was almost as bad as Vic when it came to trusting people. It took time and went against her beliefs. But even when she trusted someone as much as she ever did it was still hard to confess things. In all honesty the only people she truly trusted with her life were herself, Dinah, and Vic.

Roger didn't make the cut anymore. Bastard.

"What do you mean?" Dinah asked in confusion.

"I just wanted to know I wasn't alone." Helen murmured, avoiding eye contact. "Q was there and I asked him to stay with me that night. And he did, right until the morning."

"Did he...try anything?"

"No, and I would have kicked his ass if he did."

Dinah thought it over for a moment. "Interesting. Anything else happen between you two that I should know about?"

"...We told Roger that we're together now."

"Um, why?"

"Because I wanted to rub it in his face that I wasn't his anymore." Huntress replied, "That I didn't miss his sorry ass and was moving on. Vic's the one who thought of it. He said that us getting together would be the biggest slap in the face of them all since he'd always thought something went on between us."

"Oh did he now?"

"Yeah, and I think he was right. You should have seen his face when we walked in the room together holding hands."

Dinah fought back a small smile. "Did you do anything besides hold hands?"

"Nothing too bad. I sat on his lap and we kissed a little. Well, and he was feeling up my thighs the whole time so Roger would be jealous. Plus when we got home the asshole followed us so I got the idea to make it seem like we were having sex."

"How'd you do that?"

"We closed the blinds so he could only see our silhouettes and kissed, took each other's clothes off, and worked on pin-downs on the bed."

"...I thought you said you _didn't_ have sex."

"We _didn't. _He was still wearing boxers and I had on my bra and underwear. It's not like we were naked."

"No, you were just rolling around on your bed almost naked and kissing."

"I don't like your tone, Dinah. Are you implying something?" Helen frowned.

Dinah sighed and stared at her friend in pity. "I never thought you of all people would do this."

"Do what?"

"Ignore the obvious, especially with guys. He obviously likes you, Helena. You can't tell me you don't see it."

"See what! Why can't anyone believe a guy and a girl can just be friends?" She snapped, "Look, Vic's always there for me, okay. He's my _friend. _If he did have feelings for me than why didn't he tell me when we started hanging out, huh? Or try to stop my wedding or something? He was there and he was fine, Dinah. Why don't _you _open _your _eyes?"

The blonde woman thought back to her friend's wedding day. Helena had been too caught up in the moment and the excitement -not that Dinah could blame her- and hadn't exactly taken a good look at her friend. But while Helen had been preoccupied, Dinah hadn't. She's seen the look on his face and the way he left as quickly as possible.

_"Lost the game? Dinah, I'm upset because I never even had the chance to play."_

The words echoed in Dinah's mind. She knew Vic had cared about Helena, but had he maintained those feelings after all this time?

It appeared so.

"Well you know he had to of liked you at some point." Dinah argued, "After all, why help you?"

"Of course I know he thought I was sexy. The only reason he helped me was because I flirted with him. But God, that was so long ago. I doubt he even remembers thinking of me as more than a friend."

"That's bull, and you know what else is?"

"What?"

"You saying you don't like him as more than a friend." Helen opened her mouth to protest her, but Dinah cut her off. "Look, you trust him, you care about him, and you had no problem making out with him. It sounds to me like you like him back."

"Wha-What are you talking about?" Helena stuttered, "Me and Vic like...? No, no way in hell."

"Why not?"

"Because we're nothing more than friends."

"Well why stay that way?" Dinah probed, "Think about it; it's perfect. You already know a ton of stuff about each other, you know your identities, you hang out all the time, and you already know all the annoying things about each other."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"I know he's a freak, but you seem to like him enough." She continued, "Do you think he's attractive?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think he's attractive?"

Helen thought about it for a few moments before admitting reluctantly, "Well, kind of. Not the kind of guy who could model or anything, but cute in a dorky kind of way." At Dinah's triumphant smirk she quickly added, "But not the kind of guy whose babies you want."

No way would she confess that she thought he was very, very attractive. Not in a traditional sense, but still attractive. He had a hard face and a battered body, but when he smiled at her she felt like she'd done the impossible and he had scars to match her own. She wondered what it would be like to compare them in bed at night.

"Didn't you have a dream where you slept with him?"

Shit. "Yeah, but that was so long ago-"

"Just stop denying it and confess." Dinah smirked, "I have to go before Ollie gets cranky. We haven't had sex in a week and I'm going to make up for it when we get home. You and Vic will probably be like this in a few months."

"Shut up. I told you, I don't like him. Stop annoying me about it before I shoot you."

"Look at how tense you are, Helena. You need to get laid."

"Dinah..."

"I know, I know." She sighed, "I'll see you later. Think about what I said."

"Yeah, right." Helena snorted to herself as Dinah leaped off the rooftop and onto the next one. No way in hell would she be thinking about that. Vic was one of the last people she had left and a relationship would ruin that if it failed. She trusted Vic and never wanted to lose him. The bottom line was it all came down to one big thing.

Helena wasn't willing to put their friendship at stake.

* * *

><p>"It appears you've been discovered."<p>

Roger looked up at his boss and fought back the urge to run away and hide. "I-I know sir, but the lady-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses." Mandragora sneered, "You know how we work. I told you I wasn't comfortable with her living, and what happened? She found out. You know what this means, don't you?"

"Y-Yes sir." Roger gulped.

"Good." Mandragora muttered, picking up his gun and aiming it at his head. "My organization will not stand for incompetence, Mr. Munroe. Thank you for your service. Mr. Copperilli, please come here."

A tall man approached Roger silently and a chill travelled down the Mafio's spine. He knew who this man was, and even if he had been blissfully unaware the assassin's cold eyes would have been enough. They showed no life, only a body with no soul.

Roger opened his mouth to protest his fate, but the bullet propelled out of the pistol and went straight through his forehead. There was no time to scream. Instead, he simply went as limp as a ragdoll and collapsed onto the floor.

Mandragora frowned as a pool of blood oozed around the body. His work was so messy sometimes. "Thank you, Mr. Copperilli. Now if you excuse me I have to-"

_BAM! BAM! BAM!_

Mandragora blinked twice in surprise as warm liquid trickled from his chest. He-he had been _shot_? By his own assassin? "What-What did you do?" He rasped, "You-You-"

"Shot you, yes." Alessandro Copperilli nodded slowly. "I apologize, but it was necessary. You see I've been underboss for too damn long you stupid _bastardo. _You were the worst Don our family has had since Mario Capriccio. This city and organization is going to hell and I intend to resurrect it."

"You'll fail." Mandragora swore as he fell to the ground, clutching his chest. His haggard breaths came out in pants as he peered up to his previous right-hand man. "No one will be loyal to you."

Alessandro shot him once more in the head, and this time the albino fell silent. Little did he know half of the family had been loyal to him for months. The only thing stopping him now from being in control was one last member of the most powerful branch of the families.

Helena Rosa Bertinelli.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Reviews are always appreciated:)**


	23. Evaluation

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros. **

**Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

><p><em>The years marched on mercilessly. Ollie and Dinah married, Helena had two more children, and her marriage with Roger remained intact. <em>

_The two got along wonderfully according to Helen. They had a good marriage and even better children. Everything seemed to be as close to perfect as it would ever get for her and Roger. __Well, except for one thing. _

_He still didn't know she was the Huntress. _

_But little did the Italian woman know that would all change soon. _

_The night had been relatively quiet with nothing more than a handful of burglaries and an attempt at rape. All in all, a quiet night for the corrupt Gotham City, USA. _

_A scream suddenly was heard in the distance and Huntress cursed herself for jinxing it. She should have known better than to tempt fate. "Shit." _

_Vic turned to her and nodded. "You knew it had to happen. Tonight was too damn quiet."_

_"True." She admitted as they quickly moved across a series of rooftops and slid down a fire escape into an alley where a mugging was taking place. "Damned Gotham. Just when I think we have a quiet night something like this goes and happens."_

_"That's what you get for mentally jinxing it." Vic smirked, "Come on, let's go."_

_The two quietly entered the alley way and caught sight of a tall man looming over another male dressed in a suit. "I seen guys like you in suits like that. You got money, pretty-boy. Give it to me." _

_"I suppose a 'That's what she said' joke would be inappropriate, wouldn't it?"_

_Helena froze. She knew that voice better than anyone else's on Earth._

_Roger stared at the gun in front of his face as a bead of sweat trickled behind his ear. He had money in his pocket, but he didn't want to fork it over. Maybe the knife Mandragora gave him could get him out of this..._

_Before he could finish the thought a crossbow sliced through the air like a knife cutting through butter and struck the gun. The man let out a shout and dropped it whirling around to see..._

_...A beautiful blur of purple and pink was a tornado of blue whipped around it. The colors danced together so well Roger couldn't tell if the take-down of the mugger was a fight or a ballet dance. Not that he cared._

_All to soon the mugger lay on the filthy dirt-paved road of the alley unconscious. Roger looked up to see that the blurs were actually people. Purple and pink was actually the Huntress (an unbelievably sexy bad-ass) and a man with no face. The woman kept her beautiful masked face down -much to Roger's disappointment- and allowed the hair to cover her face like a curtain as the masked man stood there awkwardly._

_"...Thanks." He muttered, "Uh, good work."_

_"Not really. Simple mugging, very simple." The man in the trench coat shrugged. He turned his faceless head back to his female partner and asked, "Care to go back to my place for a while?" _

_Realization hit quickly, "Oh...you guys are like a couple?" _

_"What? No!" Huntress exclaimed quickly, "No, no, no. We're friends." _

_"Freinds with benefits?" _

_"No. Non-sex friends." Faceless man explained curtly. But his body tensed when Roger mentioned it and the man took notice of the way he fixed his gloves. It appeared Mr. Trench coat had himself a little crush on his 'friend'. _

_The Italian man turned back towards the Huntress and looked her over carefully. She looked so damn familiar. Where the hell had he seen her before? "Do I know you?" _

_"No." She replied firmly, "Excuse us, we have to go." _

_She moved to grab the man by the arm, "Come on Q, let's beat it." _

_"Wait." Roger frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Can I say thank you? Both of you saved me tonight."_

_"I don't think that's a good idea." _

_"Why not?"_

_"Because we have to go home now." Huntress explained impatiently. "Bye." _

_His grip on her tightened. "Don't go. You look so familiar, so much like..." He squinted his eyes as though it would make him see the truth. "Helena."_

* * *

><p>"Hm, so what exactly makes you feel the urge to succumb to the will of the Illuminati and buy one of those God-awful packages of Oreos?"<p>

Vic patiently waited for a response for several seconds before clearing his throat a little loudly to get her attention. When he was greeted yet again with no response he looked up to make sure she was still present.

To his surprise she was, and even more shocking (and slightly concerning) was that she was preoccupied with…him. Her eyes were looking at him curiously with just the slightest hint of fear. Light alarm nagged at him. What on Earth was she staring at?

"Er, Helena?"

The Italian woman quickly blinked and looked away sheepishly. "Sorry, just thinking."

"What about?"

"Shopping." The lie came so easily it surprised her. Normally lying to Vic was borderline impossible between his ability to read body language and the fact that he'd known her for so long. She saw light doubt nag at his expression but it was gone almost as quickly as it had come.

For that she was infinitely grateful. If Vic had made her say what was really on her mind there was a good chance she would have died of embarrassment right in the middle of the grocery store they were shopping in. Her gave would have read 'Died because dumb friend put dumb thoughts in her head'. Well, maybe that was a little too long. But it was the truth.

Stupid Dinah and her stupid ideas about stupid Vic and a stupid relationship. How else could she describe it? Everything about it was just so...stupid.

Their life was not a movie. Their life was not cliché. What Dinah had proposed was something that only worked in cliché movies. Therefore, it couldn't work between them.

Could it?

She had spent the last hour or so in the grocery store with Vic trying to look at him as a man and not a friend. Instead of looking at his bare face and seeing years of fighting side by side, sharing Chinese food, and chats about the latest plot of the Illuminati she looked past it in search of...something.

Helena had been slightly surprised by what she found. Once she got over the fact that this man had been a good friend for as long as she could remember she assessed him like a random man she'd pass by on the street.

Vic was good looking. Not in a traditional sense, and nothing that would make anyone stop in their tracks with one look. But if you slowed down and looked a little harder, he was quite attractive. Slightly faded once scarlet hair that had faded to dark orange with time, a long nose with a bump from being broken countless times, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

Hardly her type, but on Vic it worked. Hell, it made sense. If he'd been blonde or a brunette with brown eyes it would have been weird. He was too eccentric to be normal looking.

Since body was important as well, Helena took a few minutes to study his physique. She herself was tall at 5'7, but Vic had a good four or five inches on her. Tall, but not too tall. Built, too. The man didn't have an ounce of fat on him; he was pure muscle. She'd caught herself staring at those muscles a few times wondering what it would feel like to have his muscles against her own.

The thought was a major turn on.

Aside from physical attraction, even more important was the mental and spiritual compatibility they shared. In many ways getting together with Vic would make a lot of sense. They already knew about each other's identities, there wouldn't be the awkwardness of getting to know a person, they got along well, and there was a sense of ease when they were together.

As much as Helena hated to admit it, it made a lot of sense.

On the other hand (a hand which she favored much, much more than the other) it would also present quite a few problems. If, _if _they got together then it would be very, very awkward at first. It was completely new territory and it might have been impossible. After so many years of looking and thinking of Vic as a good friend sexual attraction at this point was difficult.

Scratch that, sexual attraction was easy. It was mental attraction that was hard. She loved her friend, but that was it. She loved her _friend. _Thinking of Vic as a lover was difficult. Granted she'd had dreams and thoughts about him as one before, but dreams were so different from reality.

Vic was a hard man. He was very uncomfortable when she talked about sex, unattached to humanity, and often emotionless. Could she deal with that? She needed to know she was loved but she didn't think Q could guarantee her that. Vic wasn't mushy or playful or anything like she wanted.

Yet Helena was attracted to him, even if she hated to admit it.

But was a stupid attraction worth the risk? If she lost Q she wouldn't just be losing a friend, she would be losing her partner. To lose Vic meant to lose years of friendship, trust nearly impossible for them to have established, and the one person she knew always had her back.

Then of course there was the matter of if Vic even wanted to take the next step and be a couple. She knew he thought she was attractive and had mentioned it before, but that didn't mean he wanted to be her lover. Q was reserved and quiet, especially when it came to emotions. He had never really displayed an attraction to anyone before, so what made Helena so special that he'd like or maybe even love her?

Love. That was a scary word. Helen didn't think she would ever use or feel it again, and that was okay. She and Roger had a good run together; maybe that was all the love she was supposed to experience in life.

It was a depressing thought for the thirty-nine year-old.

Depressing but realistic. Love ended in nothing but hurt, anyways; who cared if she never felt it again? She let her chocolate eyes study his features once more. If Helena was honest to herself she always felt a little thrill when she saw Vic unmasked. Less than five people on the planet knew the paranoid man's identity and she was one of them. It made her feel special.

The good special, not the kind that rode the short bus.

Helen let her eyes travel over his face, taking in the strong features. _He really is kinda hot. I mean I always noticed he was pretty decent looking, but damn._

Maybe it was because she hadn't had sex in almost eight months. Maybe it was because she had an enormous bundle of repressed sexual urges within her since the divorce. Or maybe they had been there all along and she'd chosen to ignore them.

"What are you staring at?"

Like a deer in headlights, Helena froze. "Um...What?"

"What are you staring at?" Vic repeated, "You've been looking at me like that for the past five minutes. There something on my face?"

"No."

"Then why were you staring?"

"I-I..."

"You need to get laid." He finally sighed after a few moments. "Not having sex isn't good for a woman like you."

"And what is _that _supposed to me?"

"It means as an emotional, passionate being you're not designed to be alone." Vic explained calmly, "And that you need to get some of that tension out somehow."

"Well count on it being there for a while."

"Why?"

"Because it's complicated now." She explained with a sigh. "I can't just have one-night stands to keep me satisfied. It's A) not healthy and B) not fair to my kids to let their mother be a whore."

"Don't think finding someone to be their father makes you a whore." He remarked off-handily as he reached for a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese inside her cart. "Don't buy this."

"I need it for dinner. I didn't say getting a boyfriend would make me a whore; having nothing but one-night stands would. And the kids don't need a new father. Even if their old one sucks ass he's still their parent."

"Move on. Let go of your hurt and find someone new. Maybe...Maybe someone you're close to."

He hoped it sounded flirty or at least suggestive. When it came to attracting women Vic wasn't exactly Bruce Wayne. Though he had to admit he was a hell of a lot better at keeping them around for more than a night at a time.

Helena's mouth twitched at his words. Did he mean himself? God, this was too damn complicated! Why did Dinah have to go and put the idea in her head, anyways? She couldn't take anymore drama in her life. "Like who?"

"A man you're close to, I suppose. Someone who you know well and gets along with your children." Why was this so hard? Why couldn't he just admit he loved her and suggest himself? "What about...what about me?"

If Helena could have been anywhere else in the world at this moment she would have transported there instantly. Why oh why did he have to voice her thoughts? This was too much to handle, too soon to handle it, and too terrifying to consider.

"Um... How about me stop talking about it?" The Italian suggested quickly, "It doesn't matter. Like I said, I'm staying single for a while."

Though it wasn't outright rejection, it still stung. The least she could have done was talk about it, right? Was the simple thought of it so terrible she couldn't stand to voice it?

The thought hurt more than any arrow ever could.

"Fine."

"Fine."

It didn't take too long for tension to bubble within the pair. They avoided eye contact and refused to look at each other, much less talk, until Helena accidentally bumped into an old friend.

Literally.

"Shit! I'm so sorry." Huntress apologized profusely over and over as she quickly helped the other woman up. "I didn't see you there."

"It's okay." The woman replied with a tired smile. "It's my fault for blocking the aisle."

"I still didn't need to ram you with my cart and knock you over." Helen frowned, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to her feet. Vic peered at them curiously as she brushed off her pants and looked up.

_"Vic_?" She gasped as she caught sight of the redhead looming over her and Helena.

"Myra?" Q blinked. For a moment even the impeccable Vic Sage looked stunned as he caught sight of his ex.

"You two know each other?" Helena asked in surprise as she took in the woman with thick hair the color of eggplant falling over her shoulders and big blue eyes so dark they appeared to be maroon.

"Well, yeah." Myra said as she looked over the other man. "Vic and I go way back..."

Something about the way she had said it made Helena feel uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

"Myra was an, ahem, friend of mine a few years back." Q coughed, "A very, very good friend."

Helena's feeling of unease only grew with that statement, but before she could ask Vic what the hell he meant by that Myra had turned to her and stuck out her hand pleasantly. "Myra Fermin, and you?"

"Helena Bertinelli." The only truly good thing from her separation with her husband was getting to use her maiden name again. Feeling it roll off her tongue felt like welcoming an old lover back into her bed.

Myra's eyes widened, "_You're _Helena?" Seeing the other woman nod she broke into a grin. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you. Vic's told me so much about you."

Helen frowned. "He has?"

"Well Myra it's been nice seeing you again but I think we ought to go now." Vic cut in quickly. "See you around town sometime."

"Don't be rude." Helena chided him, "And what did you tell her about me?"

Myra's smile grew. She was thrilled her friend had finally gotten together with the woman he had been so hung-up over a few years prior. It felt good to see such a pretty woman lecture him like teacher with a student. "All good things. I'm so happy to see that you got together."

The way the Italian woman gaped at her and Vic fervently shaking his head while mouthing for her to be quiet made Myra backtrack. "I mean, you are together, right?"

"No! What would make you think that?"

"You just seem like you are." Vic's ex confessed, "I mean you seem so natural together; like two halves making a whole."

"Well I can personally tell you we are most certainly _not _a couple." Helena stated with finality.

"Oh."

"Don't be mean to her." Vic chastised in defense of his old lover. "She didn't know, Helen. No need to bite."

Her cheeks flushed. "I didn't 'bite', I just-"

Myra offered a wistful smile. "It's okay, I live in The Hub. I'm used to people being rude to me. Besides, it's not my business."

Before Helena could tell her damn right it wasn't and to leave, Vic spoke once more. "Don't be silly, of course you have a right to know. No need to apologize."

His defense over Myra made Helen balk. Weren't couples that had split supposed to hate each other? Why was he defending the woman? Wasn't Vic _her_ friend?

"I still feel like I should make it up to you." Myra continued as a wonderful idea began to form. If they weren't a couple then why was the other woman glaring at her with envy like she'd never seen? It couldn't have been over her plain looks seeing how stunning Helen was, so it had to have been Vic.

The poor bastard didn't even have a clue.

If she could just convince them to get together it would be perfect. All she needed was for them to have a little dinner and some wine at her place so she could spend the evening convincing them to take the plunge.

"Would dinner at my place be a decent apology?"

At this point Helena was completely ready to rip the bitch's head off. Was she really asking out Vic right in front of her? Who the hell did she think she was?

Vic looked at her curiously. He didn't think it was an attempt to rekindle their attraction, so why would Myra invite him over? Unless...

"Do you mean the two of us?"

"Of course." Myra beamed, "I'd love to get to know you better, Helen. Plus Vic and I have a lot of catching up to do. Dinner at my place tomorrow at, say, seven?"

"Sounds good." Vic replied before Helena got the chance to yell at the woman. The brunette silently glared at Vic as he and Myra smiled and made their little arrangements.

Well hoo-fucking-rah for them. Good for Vic on getting a chance to date some slut. She hoped they were real happy together.

"See you tomorrow, Vic." Myra grinned, "Bye Helena."

Helen plastered a fake smile onto her face. "See you." As the woman pushed her cart down the aisle she whispered to herself, "Bitch."

"What?"

Helen looked up to see Vic staring at her with a light frown. "I don't like her."

"Why not?"

"She gives off a bitchy vibe."

The comment struck a nerve. Q loved Helena, but that didn't give her permission to bash on a good woman like Myra. "If anyone here was giving off a negative vibe it was you. Could you have been any less friendly?"

"I could have killed her."

"_Don't _joke about that."

The ice in his tone sent a chill down her back. "I wouldn't _really_, I just-"

"I think you need to get your act together." Vic snapped, "You've been odd all day, Helena. What the hell is the matter with you?"

_Just freaking out that I might have feelings for you and then I had to watch some skank all but get on her knees for you._ "Nothing."

"Seems like something." He glared, "If you don't like her so much than don't come tomorrow."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Helena gulped quietly. The last thing she needed was to give them an evening alone together. A little food, a little wine, she knew what that meant. It meant her friend was going to be seduced and screw the witch. Then they'd get together and she would officially steal her Q from her.

Helen purposely didn't think about why the thought made her so jealous.

"Fine. I'll go."

"You going to behave yourself?"

She would definitely exhibit some type of behavior, that was for sure. The Italian planned on making damn sure Myra knew Vic was supposed to be single. If that meant her being completely rude to the wench then so be it.

Helena smiled sweetly. "I'll be on my best behavior."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Fun fact: Myra is actually a real character, unlike Roger. In the comics she was Vic's *ahem* romantic friend. **

**A/N Reviews are always appreciated:) Happy Holidays!**


	24. Cheers

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros. **

**Thanks for the reviews:) **

* * *

><p><em>"Helena?"<em>

_Death. The question felt like death. Like death, there was no escaping it. This question was the death of her secret, and Helena wasn't happy about it._

_"Helen, baby is that you?" Roger stammered, his eyes widening._

_The Huntress bit her lip and quickly snatched her arm back. "H-Helena? Who's Helena?"_

_Question watched the two uncomfortably from the side. If he needed to than he would intervene, but at the moment he remained where he was. As much as he hated to admit it this was Helena's problem and she herself needed to solve it._

_"You look exactly like my wife."_

_"I probably just have one of those faces." Helen offered as she turned her back towards him._

_Roger shook his head. "No, it's not that. You look _exactly _like her. Your cheekbones, your eyes, your body... It's uncanny."_

_"We should go now."_

_"...Helen? Helen is that-is that you?"_

_"...N-No." Huntress stuttered out unconvincingly. Not like this. This wasn't the way for him to find out._

_"Prove it." He whispered, "Take off your mask."_

_"I can't. You can't know my identity."_

_"I-I think I already do." Roger murmured as he stepped closer. "Tell me it isn't true. Tell me you're not my wife."_

_Silence._

_"I said tell me. Tell me, damn it!"_

_But she couldn't. She couldn't bear to lie anymore to her husband. Hell, at this point she was so mentally exhausted of her deception she couldn't physically move. All that was left for her to do was stand there as he approached her._

_She felt him coax her to turn around and she complied obediently. Her eyes closed as he slid his palms over her cheeks and around her face in search of where the mask began. Hands trembling, he found what he was looking for._

_Logic told him that this was obviously Helena. Aside from the remarkable likeness if this really was some random woman she would never let him unmask her, much less so willingly. Still, a part of him had hope that this wasn't his wife._

_If it was, their world was about to be shattered._

_His palms shook as he gently slid off the mask. Helena' beautiful and unmasked face stared back at him as she slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with him._

_Roger couldn't speak. Hell, he could barely breathe as he took in her sight. Everything made sense now; all the late nights of coming home, the bruises, her constant tiredness, everything._

_Helena Bertinelli: Mafia Princess, was The Huntress: Mob enemy number one._

_The revelation was Earth shattering._

_"Hel-Hel-..."_

_"Helena. Yes." She nodded slowly, her voice cracking. "Oh Roger baby I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell you, I-I really did. But-"_

_The slap of the back of a hand against her cheek sliced off her sentence. The pain was small compared to previous injuries, but what the smack had represented hurt like nothing she had ever felt._

_Never, in fifteen years of marriage, had Roger hit her. Any other time she would have sliced off his dick, but now she felt like she deserved it. Like it or not she was Mafia, and this was how Mafia men punished their wives._

_"Son of a bitch!" Vic growled suddenly, moving from one wall to another in a flash and raising his fist as he pressed Roger against the brick._

_"Vic, don't!" Helen begged as she grabbed him by the arm._

_"He hit you." Q whispered, his fist shaking. "Tell me he hasn't done it before."_

_"He hasn't, I swear! Cut him some slack, he just found out."_

_Question dropped him reluctantly to the ground and glared at him darkly as the man stood up trembling. Roger never took his eyes off of Helena for a second. "You bitch."_

_Her head dropped in sorrow as a tear slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry doesn't fucking cut it!" He snapped, "How long has this gone on?"_

_Nothing._

_"How fucking long!"_

_"Since before we started dating." Huntress confessed quietly. "I know I should have told you, but-"_

_"Damn straight you should have!" He thundered, "How the-why the-...? I'm leaving."_

_"Me?"_

_"Maybe, but for now just here. Don't expect to hear from me for a long time you bitch." _

_His words stabbed her heart as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Don't. P-Please, let me just-"_

_"Goodbye." Roger grunted as he stomped out of the alleyway. "Don't count on seeing the kids anymore, either."_

_Helen moved to run after him, but Vic stopped her. "No. He needs to calm his sorry ass down."_

_"I just killed my marriage." She said hollowly. "Vic, I just killed my marriage..."_

_"Shh, no you didn't. It's okay, Helen. It'll be alright."_

_"I-I have to go now." She sniffed, wiping away her tears. "See you around, Q."_

_"Alright. Helena?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Call me if you need help."_

_A small smile threatened to take over her face. "I'll keep that in mind."_

* * *

><p>Helena decided that the priest was wrong when he described Hell to her as a child. It wasn't underground or covered in fire with screaming demons and tortured souls; Hell was inside a lower-middle-class apartment at the table with her friend who she was beginning to like as more than a friend with his ex chatting happily.<p>

Ironically enough, the apartment was in Helltown.

But it wasn't funny enough to get a real smile out of Helena. For as long as she'd been here every smile she had flashed had been completely fake. If anything she'd struggled with the urge to kill Myra every time she smiled at Vic.

And when Vic smiled back, Helena began to seriously rethink her policy about leaving her crossbow at home.

"-For a living? Helen?"

The brunette looked up to see Myra looking at her curiously. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked what you do for a living."

"I'm a teacher in Gotham."

"What grade?"

"Depends, I've taught anything from high school to kindergarten. This year I'm teaching second grade."

"You know studies show men like it when they see a woman working with children, especially young ones." Myra said nonchalantly, hoping her hint was taken to heart.

"She has three at home." Vic piped up, sipping his drink.

Myra's eyes widened in slight surprise. What the hell was it with her ex? Did he have some sort of fetish for married woman or something? Damn.

"Two boys and a girl." Helen added.

"Your husband's separation must have been hard on them."

"It was."

An awkward silence overtook them. Myra didn't quite know how to continue from there and Helena wasn't talking. Instead, she tried to direct the conversation towards Vic. "So, how are things with you? Are you seeing anyone?"

Helen's jaw snapped up as she scowled. The nerve of that woman! Asking Vic something like that right in front of her! Oh, she was just asking to have her eyes clawed out.

Myra lifted her eyebrows lightly and tilted her chin in Helen's direction as she asked her question. All she needed was for Vic to say he wasn't and she would make her move by suggesting that he and Helena hook-up.

"No."

Bingo.

"Well, what about you and Helena?" She asked, "I mean she's so pretty and you guys are very close, right? Is there anything between you two?"

At this point Helena was seeing red. So not only did the bitch ask Vic if he was seeing anyone, but then she went and made sure the she herself was out of the picture? Heads were going to roll in a few minutes.

Even though they weren't together -Hell, she wasn't even sure how they felt to each other anymore- it still stung when Vic said, "Of course not, we're simply friends."

She had been telling herself this constantly for over a month now, but as time progressed the little voice whispering it to her got smaller and less convincing. Friends didn't wonder what it would feel like to be completely nude and press their skin against other friends. Friends weren't supposed to want to kiss each other late at night on patrol. And friends never, ever were supposed to want to strangle other friends for talking to another woman.

But the alternative to being friends was terrifying.

It was one thing to hear herself say those words, but when Vic did it hurt her more than she had expected.

Vic sent Myra a warning look. He appreciated the effort she was trying to make, he really did. But this was personal and he didn't handle personal well when other's intervened. Besides, Helena didn't exactly look to happy when Myra made the suggestion.

It hurt, but so much did when it came to Helen and all the things he went through with her that he didn't think twice about it. Just last week he had made the slightest suggestion of them getting together at the store and he thought she might have had a heart attack.

"But you could be more, right?" Myra continued, oblivious to the tension. "Vic, don't you think Helena is pretty?"

"Uh, well..." He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact as he admitted, "Obviously, she's gorgeous. Most men in Gotham would give anything to have her in bed. Very...very attractive."

Helena had suddenly become utterly fascinated with the table.

"Helena, what about you? Do you think Vic's attractive?"

She bit her lip and looked up at him timidly. "...Yes." At his curious expression she couldn't help but elaborate, "Well, I mean, come on did you never notice? You have such blue eyes and a great body."

He raised a slightly bushy eyebrow skeptically but held back a comment. He wasn't stupid. Helen was lying so she didn't 'hurt his feelings' like women often did. He supposed it should have bothered him more, but he just didn't have the energy.

"He does, doesn't he?" Myra smirked teasingly as she messed with his hair.

Vic scowled and swatted her hand away. He couldn't stand it when people played with his hair.

Helena scowled as well but for a different reason. Watching the stupid skank mess around with Vic's hair set off her temper in a way that should have been worrying. If she touched Vic's hair one more time or so much as batted her eyes she was going to snap.

"Don't touch my hair."

She stuck her tongue out at him and Q couldn't help but smile. After all, it was pretty damn adorable. When he saw Helena giving him a glare of death his smile disappeared.

What was her problem tonight? Myra hadn't been anything but pleasant to her and how did Helena repay her? By sending her dirty looks and glaring at him. He loved her, he did, but he wasn't going to let her simply hate Myra for no good reason.

"Hm, I think everyone's done eating now. I'll clear the table." Myra offered, standing up and beginning to reach for an empty dish.

"I'll help you." Helena smiled with false sweetness.

Vic looked at her suspiciously but remained silent. As uncharacteristic as this was for her, he figured (well, hoped) that maybe this was to apologize for her rude behavior.

It took him less than three seconds to decide that most certainly wasn't it.

Whatever it was then he prayed she would remember her promise and be on her best behavior. If she did or said something nasty to his ex he would definitely give her a few words on her behavior.

"Thanks." Myra grinned.

"No problem." Helen replied briskly as she gathered the remaining dishes into her hands. She saw Q raise an eyebrow and give her a look that clearly said to behave herself, but pretended not to notice.

"So you and Vic were together while you were married? How did that work?" Helen asked as she followed the other woman into the kitchen.

Her face instantly reddened. "We had dated before I was, but then he left for a year. When he came back I had married an alcoholic who wasn't exactly nice and, well..."

"Vic was there." Helen finished knowingly.

"Yes." Myra nodded, "He's a good guy, he really is. He wasn't trying to get into my pants, it just kind of happened."

"Why did you guys break up?"

"He went to South America for a bit and we lost contact. Last time I talked to him he-... Never mind."

"He what?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me!"

"He was all hung-up over some girl he liked." Myra muttered, "I felt so bad for him."

Helen's stomach sank. What, did he have a thing with every being with breasts? Damn. "He never told me that."

"Don't take it too personally. Vic's a pretty secretive guy." She shrugged.

Helena's eyes narrowed. "Yes, but not with everything." She took a step forward and glared at the woman. "Look, Vic isn't single and even if he was he wouldn't date you, okay? You might as well stop drooling over him like some dog."

"What makes you think I want to?"

"Women's intuition."

She was wrong, but Myra wasn't going to say it out loud. "Helena, why do you care?"

"What?"

"Why do you care if Vic and I date?"

"I don't."

"You certainly seem like you do."

"Well, I _don't_." Helena hissed, "If he wants to go sleep with some ex, why would that bother me? Who cares if he spends all his time with you now? I sure don't."

"I think you're jealous."

"Jealous?" She laughed, "Please. If anything I just feel bad you're going to hurt him."

"I sincerely doubt that."

Anger flashed in her ebony eyes. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because," Myra explained as she loaded the dishes into the sink. "I think if anyone's hurting Vic it's you."

"What?"

"You both care about each other, it's obvious. Instead of handling it like an adult you shove it away and act jealous and defensive."

"I'm not acting jealous. Let's get one thing straight, Hon; I don't like you, and Vic doesn't want to date you, okay?" She looked the woman over judiciously. "I know you're type. Come on, dating a guy when you're married? Please. Q doesn't need someone like you at all. Stay away from him, got it?"

To her surprise and fury, Myra simply smiled. "I already told you I don't like Vic that way, but you obviously do. You want me to stay away from him so you can have him? Go for it."

Helena silently fumed as Myra smirked and left the sink to head back towards the kitchen.

She really hated that woman.

* * *

><p>"What did she say to you?"<p>

Myra shrugged her shoulders at Q's question. "Just to stay away from you."

Now he was mad. Damn it, that woman needed to come down a few pegs. First she told him she wasn't interested in dating him, but then she went and told his ex to back off? What the hell was going through her head?

He'd had enough. Vic loved her so much, but this was it. If she didn't want him the way he wanted her than she had no right threatening women he was close to and telling them to stay away.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Going to have a little talk?"

"Yes."

When he walked in the kitchen he saw Helena standing inside with her arms crossed, glaring at the floor as though it had offended her. "What is it with you tonight?"

She looked up and spat, "Me? What the hell is with you? The entire night you've made googly eyes at your ex!"

"That's preposterous! I told you we don't feel that way about each other anymore." He looked at her like a father scolding his rebellious teenage daughter. "Did you really threaten her?"

Her face flushed as she looked away. "No! I just-"

"Told her to stay away, I know. Helen, you need to pick, damn it!"

"Pick what?"

"What you want!" He snapped, "When I suggested to you that maybe we try going out at the grocery store last week you wouldn't even think about it! Now that I'm over here talking to a _friend_you go and get jealous? No."

Her face pinked with a mixture of outrage and humiliation. "You're a prick, you know that?"

"Well you can be a real bitch sometimes."

The two glared at each other silently in a classic Mexican standoff.

"Okay, that's it." Vic announced.

"What's it?"

"Come on," he grabbed her wrist in his palm. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Helena asked.

"On a date. No more beating around the bush, okay? I'm taking you on a damned date whether you like it or not."

"You're such an ass!"

"An ass that's going to be paying. Now get in the car and be quiet."

"Don't fucking tell me what do!" She hissed, but complied anyways.

"Look, we're going on a date whether you like it or not. Fine?"

"Fine!"

And so they drove off.

* * *

><p>Back inside, Myra got up from her table and headed towards a cabinet, grabbing a little bottle of cheap wine and pouring herself a glass.<p>

She smiled as she heard Vic and Helena getting into his car and driving off before holding out the small glass into mid-air.

"I'll drink to that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Review please!:)**


	25. Thai Food For The Soul

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros. **

**Thanks for the reviews:) **

* * *

><p><em>Vic silently strummed his gloved fingers against his keyboard in the darkness of his apartment. Aside from the dim light flickering from his laptop the room was dark and so very comforting. This was his domain after all, his sanctuary where he was free to babble and be as mad as he chose. <em>

_No matter how hard he tried to submerge himself in his work Helena refused to leave his mindset. At this moment she was more likely than not in a brutal fight with her husband spewing out insults and pain to each other. _

_He hoped she would be okay. _

_Gentle knocking at his door sliced through his thoughts. Vic stood up with a pretty good idea at whom the visitor was and approached the peeling door quickly. When he caught sight of an exhausted Helena with a deep frown on her face and a coat covering her body, he found his initial instinct to be correct. _

_"Can I come in?" _

_He nodded and ushered her through the door. "Figured you would come by." _

_"I'm not even surprised." Helen sighed, collapsing onto the beaten couch in the living room. The Italian ran a hand through her hair and stared at the carpet silently, her head bowed as though she was praying to God to save her from her latest catastrophe. "...You have no idea how bad it was." _

_"The fight?" _

_Helen let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Fight? Please, that was a Goddamn war. I can't believe one of us didn't pull a knife on the other." _

_"That bad?" _

_"Worse. Vic he's-...he's-..." She paused to wipe a fresh string of tears from her cheek. "He's going to leave me, Vic. He said he would and I couldn't take it so I-..." _

_"Left. I can see that." Q replied, "Helen, I doubt he'll leave you. He just needs some time and then you'll go back to being happy like you were before." _

_"That's just it, Vic; we haven't been happy lately." Helena admitted softly. "All we've done lately is fight and bicker and yell at each other like banshees. It's just gotten so bad over the past few months..." _

_"Why?" _

_"I don't know." _

_Silence fell over the pair as Helena bit her bottom lip and sighed. Normally beating the hell out of criminals or going a few rounds with the punching bag was the perfect solution for when someone had screwed her over, but now she was the one at fault. She was the one who had lied to her husband; the one that had hidden the truth. _

_Helena was a virgin when it came to being the one who had done something of this caliber wrong and she had no idea how to fix it or handle it. _

_So here she was crying like a whiney bitch because her husband might leave her and her life could fall apart. Boo-freaking-hoo, right? So what if she lost the only guy she'd ever really loved? So what if she'd just killed her marriage and wrecked her kids lives? So what if the people she loved the most wanted nothing more to do with her? It wasn't that big a deal that she was going to lose everything she had ever cherished because of her unquenchable lust for blood and revenge. _

_Helena once again began to weep. _

_Vic watched utterly mesmerized as small tears streamed down her cheeks and under her chin as the woman in front of him cried. He didn't know whether to be horrified, scared, or honored-after all, Helena had never even cried in front of her own husband to his knowledge, much less him. _

_"You made a mistake." He whispered softly, placing a hand uncertainly on her shoulder. "Know that it was wrong, correct?" _

_"No shit! But damn it, I did it for them, Q! Why can't they see that?" _

_"They don't know any better, Helen. Not their fault. It isn't yours, either." _

_She took a deep, shaky breath as he sat next to her on the couch and squeezed her shoulder. "Then why does it feel like one?" _

_"Your intentions were good, the result...not so much. Again, it wasn't your fault." Vic said, "You know what you did was wrong, I know what you did was wrong. Give them time and they will too." _

_Helena gave a small, sad smile and leaned against him without thinking. "Wise words from Master Q over here. Who knew you had the mind of a geek and the heart of a badass Buddha?" _

_"There's a lot you don't know about me." _

_"Like what?" _

_"I'll tell you someday." He smirked, "Maybe." _

_"I know some guys go for that dark and mysterious crap, but I'm not one of them." She remarked with a light frown. "I'll find out one day." _

_"If you say so." _

_"I do." _

_"I think you should go to sleep now." Vic said suddenly, "You look tired and you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Go to bed." _

_Helena looked around the room in puzzlement. "Where?" _

_"My bed." Vic replied nonchalantly. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off saying, "You need it the most, correct? Besides, it won't kill me to spend a night on the couch." _

_"...You sure?" _

_"Yes." _

_"Suit yourself, dude." Helen sighed, standing up and facing him. To his surprise she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." _

_"Ahem. Yes, well...uh...nice." Vic mumbled intelligently, fidgeting uncomfortably with his tie and looking at the floor. Helena's lips quirked into a light smirk as she walked away, but she remained silent. _

_Vic watched her go into his bedroom and sat down on the couch. He touched his cheek without thinking and thought about Helena spending the night in his bed alone before letting out a small groan. _

_How the hell was he supposed to sleep knowing just fifteen feet away a perfectly beautiful Helena was sleeping in his bed all alone and sad probably desiring a good romp in the sack to forget about the latest hazards of her life that she had caused? What was preventing him from joining her? Oh, right: he was a 'good' man and they didn't do that. _

_Sometimes he loathed always being the nice guy when it came to Helena. _

* * *

><p>It wasn't what she had expected.<p>

That's all Helena kept thinking throughout the entire evening. Between being dragged into a little whole in the wall Thai restaurant by Vic who claimed it was one of the few Conspiracy-free restaurants in the city to the two of them walking now it had passed through her mind countless times.

Though how they arrived wasn't exactly normal or even pleasant, once they had gotten into the car things had gradually gotten better. About halfway into the ride there had been a debate about where to eat that ended in a sharp 'fine' by Helen when he insisted on taking her here, but after that it had been smooth sailing.

Conversation had been kept to a minimum until their order was placed by a waiter. Even after that the tension was palpable as the pair sat in their seats looking at the tablecloth and refusing to speak. Finally Vic broke the silence by apologizing for more or less kidnapping her to which Helen had smirked. From there conversation was fairly easy.

After their food arrived (Gai Pad Met Mamuang for Q and Som Tam for Helena) Helen had confessed that there might have been a very slight, miniscule, barely there feeling of jealousy towards Myra. Q smirked at this making the Italian smack him on the shoulder and sulk saying that she'd done it because she didn't want her to hurt him.

His still present smirk told her he thought otherwise.

So they ate. They chatted over nothing and everything. It was like any other night between them except Vic had insisted on paying (being the old-fashioned man he was) and a few times Helen had caught him giving her a look she recognized very well: lust.

The look was oddly thrilling.

After devouring their Thai and paying the restaurant the two headed out into the Gotham night. The Hub was only a few hours away, yet it seemed like a completely different world. Vic had been telling her about it as they walked, Helena only half-listening as they strolled though Gotham.

He really was good-looking, she realized, and not just physically. Granted the man was a nut-job, but then again so was she. They had a lot in common and knew each other well so for the most part any awkwardness was kept to a minimum.

As they headed towards wherever Helen couldn't help but notice how close together they were walking. Their hips were practically touching as they strolled through the city and towards the East side. She thought about saying something about it, but decided not to.

She still didn't like to think about why.

It was too hard to admit that she had a...thing for Vic. Nothing so serious to the point where she wanted to get married or into bed, but there was definitely an attraction. It had been nearly impossible to admit to at first, but now that they were alone and on this 'date' it was harder not to.

But she still didn't want to date him.

They were too good of friends and on top of that the last thing she wanted now was a relationship. Helena knew if she did want one Q probably was the guy she would pick (God thinking that was weird) but fact of the matter was she wasn't ready.

"Q, where are we going?"

"Seeing as we're walking in a straight line it could be anywhere and depending on how long we walk we might be walking where we are now."

"Smartass."

"It's a surprise."

"A surprise? So you planned this?"

Q thought about it. "Dragging you out by your ear with me, no. Taking you to our location, just now, yes."

"Glad to see you're not as crazy as they say." Helena teased with a small smile.

"Insanity is insane to those who are not sane."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." He sighed, "We're here, more or less."

Helena looked around where they were. "...The docks? Why are we at the docks?"

"It's symbolic." Q explained, "Well, it's supposed to be."

"This is where we got Mandragora." Helena remembered suddenly as the memory crashed down on her. She thought of the way she'd flirted with him shamelessly on the Watchtower to get him to help, getting to know each other as the night went on, fighting Ollie and Dinah, almost dying when they drove his car in a train tunnel, and Q's plea to prevent her from killing the bastard. Actually, it hadn't been so much of a plea as telling the truth by asking a question she hadn't dared to ask herself: was it really what she wanted?

It wasn't.

Though she hated to admit it, Vic had saved her that night. He had rescued something more important than her mere life; her soul. Had she done it she probably would have spent the rest of her life on the run avoiding not only the League and Batman, but an entire family of pissed off Mafia members.

Then there was always the possibility of Edgar growing up and hunting her down as well. What would she have truly accomplished by killing him? Her parents would have still been dead and an innocent child would have been put through an ordeal she had faced.

No one deserved to go through what Helena had.

"Hey, Vic?"

"Yes?"

"Did I ever thank you for saving me that night? I mean directly for that?" She asked softly. "I know I've thanked you for other things, but did I ever say thanks for the most important one of all?"

"You've thanked me for everything. I assumed it fell under the same category."

"Thank you. If you hadn't been there that night I think my life would have been very, very different."

"My pleasure." In a jolt of confidence he added, "Though it is my duty to help beautiful women in need."

"Flatterer."

"Only for you."

"So why are we here? I mean I know this, uh, date isn't normal but it still seems like a funny place to go."

"It's symbolic. Like I said, this is where it all started." Vic explained, taking her hand in his as they stared at the dangling beams above them. "This is where we became connected, Helena. Had we not then I probably would have been killed by Cadmus and you yourself most likely would have been killed by Mandragora's son at this point. The Universe intended for us to meet."

"Okay." Helena blinked, not quite sure what he meant. "Why exactly were we supposed to meet?"

He turned away so she couldn't see his face. "Suppose that's up for interpretation."

"I guess."

"I-I'm really happy you came with me." He admitted, squeezing her hand. "Didn't think I would ever get you to."

Helena ignored the flutter in her stomach. This was as good as a time of any to set him straight. "Vic, stop."

"Stop what?"

"Just...stop. I don't know why we're doing what we are, but it has to stop."

He tried to hide the hurt on his face, desperately wishing he had his mask on. "What do you mean? I thought you wanted to-"

"No. Vic... We're friends, good friends. We've known each other so long -too long- to..."

"To what, Helen?"

"I only got divorced a few months ago, Vic. I'm not ready to go jump back into a relationship. Do you know how long it supposedly takes for someone to get over that?"

"...Seventeen months and twenty-six days on average." He mumbled, "Researched it. It takes the average person almost a year and a half to be completely over their divorce and about seven months to be ready to pursue a new relationship. Those who do find it easier to get over it if they have a significant other."

Helena was speechless and chose to simply stare at him. "...You actually looked it up?"

"Yes."

"Well, I-... It doesn't matter, Q. I still don't want anyone right now."

"What about in the future?"

"Can we please not talk about this?"

"I don't understand." He frowned, "You displayed interest in me when you were jealous and I thought-"

"You thought wrong."

He bit his lip. This wasn't going the way he'd hoped at all. "Helen, I'm just trying to make sense of things. I'm not looking for a relationship, okay? It's just...a date."

"Just a date." Helen repeated hollowly. "Right."

Not another word was spoken for the next hour and a half as the two walked back towards Helena's house. When they arrived Helen dared to steal a look at Vic and felt a pang of regret in her chest when she saw his confused expression. The poor man had no idea what she meant or wanted anymore.

The quietness remained prominent as they walked up her driveway and onto the porch in front of her apartment. Helena turned to face him and apologize for not being gentler or even speaking at all when she felt Vic cup her chin, pull her face close, and press his lips to hers.

Helena was stunned.

When they finally broke apart from the kiss Helena's breathing was heavier than usual and she noticed Vic looked a little flustered himself. Gathering a breath she asked in disbelief, "What-What was that for?"

"Correct way to end a date, no?" He shrugged, "Night."

"N-Night." Helena stammered as he turned towards her driveway. She watched him go as though nothing had happened and tried to ignore the feeling in the bottom of her stomach from when he kissed her. How nice his lips had been against hers. How warm he felt and how much she wanted to give in to him.

Sometimes she hated that man.

* * *

><p>Allesandro Copperilli kept his head bowed down low as he looked over the weapons sprawled out on his wooden desk.<p>

He had an array of them and loved every one of them equally like any good assassin did. Sure he tended to favor his guns a little more, but his daggers had a special place in his heart as well. Or at least what was left of his heart.

His gloved hands selected his TBK-059 assault rifle and he looked it over with a smile. This would be the perfect weapon to kill the Bertinelli bitch with.

Just two more weeks and she'd be dead.

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><p><strong>AN Review please! **


	26. Car Trouble

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for taking a few minutes to review. It makes my day:)**

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><p><em>"Vic?"<em>

_The redhead looked up to see a sleepy Helena standing in his living room doorframe wearing nothing but a shirt of his. His eyes traveled up and over her body as he sat there appreciating it. It took him a few moments to even recall that she had said his name. "Good morning. Did you sleep alright?"_

_"Pretty much. Your bed is really comfortable."_

_"I've always thought so." He searched her face for an answer to the real question, the one they were avoiding like a plague. "You feel any better?"_

_Helena ignored him and walked into the kitchen straight towards the coffee pot. The worry etched onto her tired face didn't go unnoticed as she poured herself a steaming mug of joe. "Not really, no."_

_Vic remained silent sensing she wasn't yet done._

_"I just...I know it was my fault, but I didn't think it would ever bite me in the ass like that. All-All I wanted to do was to protect my family like Papa always tried to protect me."_

_"And how did that work out for him?"_

_The next moment Helena's hand was around his neck and his back was thrown against his wall as the Italian woman slammed into him with a snarl. "Don't you dare badmouth my padrino!"_

_"Not badmouthing, just making a statement." Q replied with utter calmness, despite the situation. "He tried to protect you by hiding you in a closet, and in a way he did by saving you from physical death. However, you still were a victim and it changed you."_

_"What the hell does that have to do with not telling my kids I'm Huntress?" Helena spat in demand._

_"You protected them from the biggest pain for as long as you could, but in the end they suffered anyways." Vic clarified, "Your intentions were good, but the result was not."_

_"So what you're saying is no matter what I did...I still would have hurt my children?"_

_"In a sense."_

_"Oh my God." Helena whispered, releasing his neck and covering her mouth. "Did...Did I damn them just by having them?"_

_Q realized what he had implied and immediately began to backtrack. "Wait, no. What I mean is-"_

_"Oh my God, I did." She gasped, her mouth falling into an O of surprise as her eyes swarmed with guilt. "No wonder Roger's going to leave me."_

_Helen groaned and covered her face with her hands as the enormity of her actions sank within her. She could physically feel it compacting her curvaceous body, suffocating her with guilt and the promise of a bleak future._

_She brushed a tear from her eye and looked up to see Vic watching her expressionlessly. "W-What? Aren't you going to tell me it'll all be better tomorrow?"_

_"Nothing would be accomplished if I lied to you, would it?" He asked, "You'll still be in a feud with your husband, distressed about your future as well as your children's, and nothing would change. Saying everything will be better is a lie, and I don't lie to you."_

_She smiled bitterly. "No, you don't. You're one of the most honest people I've ever met."_

_"Thank you."_

_"So how do I make everything okay? I-I don't know how to fix this."_

_"Neither do I. Try telling them your intentions. Apologize."_

_"I'm not very good with apologies."_

_"That makes two of us."_

_Helena sighed and leaned against her old friend for strength as well as comfort. He slid and arm around her holding her tightly, his arms creating a protective barrier around her as though to keep her safe._

_"Helena...even if it doesn't work out, you know I'm here for you."_

_The face he loved so much smiled at him as she squeezed his hand. Vic loved her, he truly did. He would have taken her in even if she was bugged by the Illuminati. Well, he'd make her take off their devices and quarantine her of course, but he would still let her in._

_Nothing had felt as right as it did when Helena grasped his hand in her own, smiled that smile of hers, and said, "I know, Vic. You always have a home with me too." _

_He had finally found a home and family within Helena, one to call his own._

* * *

><p>Helena cursed the universe not quite as silently as she had hoped as Vic sighed and unbuckled his seat belt.<p>

Against her better judgment, while her car was in the shop for repairs she called up Q and asked him for a ride. Initially she'd been trying to avoid him and get a grip on herself to stop what she had begun to feel towards him, but really needed a ride to Star City. She was supposed to meet up with Ollie and Dinah, but with her car broken down needed transportation.

Calling Roger wasn't an option. Come to think of it, Helena hadn't heard from him in a few weeks. Maybe she should have called him after all...

But she hadn't. Seeing no real alternative she dialed up Q's latest number (he changed his every week and got a new phone to avoid being tapped by the Illuminati) and ignoring the flutter in her stomach when she realized they would be spending a few hours alone in a car together called him up.

Vic had agreed without much persistence saying he hadn't seen Ollie in a while anyways. He didn't care too much for Dinah, but Oliver had been one of the few people he tolerated and considered a sort of friend.

Getting to Star City wasn't exactly the most complicated rive in the world, but getting to the Emerald Archer's home city required taking the highway through the middle of nowhere. The drive was boring, but with company was bearable.

It had been a decent ride up until two minutes ago when the fuel pump in the engine broke and they were forced to pull over. Currently Vic was attempting to call AAA after quite a lot of persuasion (not to mention the occasional threat) from Helena.

"We're stuck." He sighed upon re-entering the car. "Like a damned fly in a spider's web."

Helena groaned and tightened her jacket around her body. "Fabulous. Not only are we going to freeze to death but we're going to die before I get to see Ollie and Dinah."

"We are not going to die of hypothermia, Helena. If anything it will be from dehydration."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that makes me feel better."

"That was the intention."

"I was being sarcastic, dummy."

"So was I." A thoughtful pause, "Are you really cold?"

"No shit, Mr. Detective."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Vic shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well...how cold are you?"

"Scale of one to Frosty?"

"If you're really that cold, well," He tugged at his tie awkwardly, refusing to meet her gaze. "...We could always...share our warmth."

"...Share?" Helena repeated cautiously, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, body heat is easily transferred to another body so-"

"I meant _how _do you plan on the two of us transferring heat?"

"Physically, obviously."

Helena slowly covered her eyes with her palm. "Vic...you're a good guy and all but just two weeks ago I said I didn't want to-"

"Not with _sex_!" He said quickly feeling the awkwardness in the car shoot through the roof. "I-I meant that if we were to lay down next to each other in, say, the back our body heat would be shared between the two of us."

"...What are you saying? Because if it involves me naked I-"

"For Christ's sake stop thinking I'm trying to sleep with you!" He snapped, "I'm trying to help us both out here, alright? If we lay next to each other then we'll share our heat. No nudity, no groping, nothing sexual at all. Just...laying there."

Slowly, Helena nodded her head. She understood what he meant and knew that Vic wouldn't try anything if she had said no. Trying to keep that thought in her head she slid out of the front seat and hopped into the back.

Vic remained silent as he followed her. Why did that woman have to be so sex-minded? It wasn't like he was innocent when it came to imagining the two of them in bed, but damn it he didn't think every time she made a suggestion it was innuendo for getting him between the sheets.

Weren't men supposed to be the ones with the dirty minds?

He did his best to ignore her discomfort and frown as she slipped into the back next to him. When she told him to make sure he was on his best behavior Q fought back the urge to yell that he _always _behaved around her. Really, the woman was acting as though he was a rapist.

The backseat was small, but large enough for the two to lie down on and be moderately comfortable. Neither of them said a word as they got settled. The tension residing between them was palpable, but went ignored.

Talking about things didn't always make them better.

When Vic accidentally brushed his hand against Helena's leg and she cringed, he couldn't help but snap at her. "What the hell is with you, Helen?"

"Nothing! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Me? What did I do?"

She rolled her eyes and tried to make it seem like it was incredibly obvious. Really Q hadn't done anything, but the situation made her uneasy. It was bad enough to struggle with her feelings about the man, but lying incredibly close to him didn't help one bit.

Anger was beginning to seep into Vic. He knew he wasn't a good man, but that didn't mean he deserved to get treated like trash. Helena didn't love him, fine. But to throw away years of friendship was something he didn't think he could handle.

Helen couldn't help but lean closer into her friend's body. She tried to ignore how right it felt. This wasn't just some random guy; this was Q. Even though she had reluctantly begun admitting to herself she might have liked him, she wouldn't act on it.

Like wasn't the right term. As hard as it was to digest, Helena had a...crush on her long time friend.

It was sickening.

But she couldn't help it. Vic was polite, nice, respectful, attractive, and already knew the darker parts of her life. They had history together and as a couple would be pretty damned good.

Which was exactly why they couldn't get together.

"Why are you acting like this?" Q muttered, "I-I can't figure it out."

Helena mulled it over. "It's...complicated."

"I'm smart. I'll understand if you tell me."

"Vic...I don't know if you noticed but things are kind of weird between us." Helena began, "I don't know how or when it started, but it's there. I just wish it wasn't. Us as a couple would be..."

"Phenomenal."

"See, that's what I mean!" She groaned, "Why do you have to say stuff like that?"

"Helen...why is it such a problem? I know I'm hardly someone anyone would want, but-"

"Can we not talk about this? Please?"

Vic swallowed the lump in his throat, figuratively and literally. "No, I don't think we can." At Helena's surprised face he added, "It won't just go away you know. It's...better to."

At her silence he started to ramble. "I just don't see what's so bad about us becoming more. Is it me? I-I could change-"

"No you couldn't." Helena smiled softly, "You and I both know you'll never change."

"Is-Is that why you won't date me?"

"Why are you pushing this, Q?"

_Because I love you and want you to finally be mine. _"We seem...compatible."

"I know, but what if we broke up?" Helen asked, "We would hate each other."

"I could never hate you."

Helena sighed and rested her head on his chest. She looked up to see Vic staring at her curiously, silently watching her. He had such a nice profile, and his eyes were so damn blue. She...she wanted to kiss him.

"Do you ever think about us being together?" Vic asked suddenly, "Not just as a couple, but...intimately."

"You mean, like, sex?"

"Yes."

"...A few times." She admitted quietly, burying her face in the crook of his jacket.

Q let out a slow, deep breath. His minds raced with possible scenarios Helena may have thought of. Were they like his own? Were they hot? What did she picture them doing?

"Oh. And...?"

"And what?"

"Well...how is it?"

"Good." She admitted, "Real good. With Roger it was always fast and blurred, which is still really nice, but with you I imagine it being long and detailed."

"Detailed?"

"You're big into details and finding things. I think you'd be very attentive and giving."

"You...put a lot of thought into it." Vic mumbled, his confidence growing after she made her confession.

"Like you haven't." Helena shot back defensively, her face flushing. "...Have you thought about it?"

"Very much." He admitted, "I think you would be imaginative and creative in bed. God, and your body naked would just be..."

She wasn't expecting him to bend down and give her a quick kiss as he trailed off, but Helena didn't protest. It didn't last more than a second but in that moment she felt things she had never felt before.

Q looked at her expectantly after he drew back. It had been a simple peck, but it felt like so much more. Helen closed her eyes and rested her head back onto his chest and let out a soft sigh.

It should have bothered her more than it was that Vic had just kissed her, but it didn't. The damned cold must have been doing something to her head.

"What's keeping us apart?"

"I already told you."

"I could never hate you, Helena. Ever. I wish you would stop worrying that."

"You say that now, but if something were to happen between us-"

"It won't."

He just wasn't getting it. Before she could tell him more about it Vic bent down and rested his forehead against hers, into her eyes. Helena could smell his cologne and feel his warmth against her.

She let out a soft sigh and simply stared back. The position should have been awkward and uneasy, but it wasn't. It felt natural, like something that should have been happening the whole time.

Vic moved so that her body was firmly pressed against his, their foreheads still touching. He slid a hand possessively onto her outer thigh and smiled. She was so damned pretty.

"You really are beautiful you know." He murmured, "Gorgeous."

"So you've told me." Helena replied quietly, feeling Q's hands slip onto her back and begin to rub up and down. "Vic..."

"Yes?"

"I don't want to do this."

"Why?" Q muttered, kissing her temple. "You have nothing to lose."

Helena pressed her lips against his own before quickly retreating back to her space bubble. She wanted so bad to just stop fighting and let herself do what she wanted, but that would mean weakness. Helena Bertinelli was never allowed even for a moment to be weak.

Even if a moment of weakness could make her stronger for life.

Q let out a shaky breath and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. He loved this woman more than anything and was so scared he was going to mess up. He had wanted Helena for years now with no success, but here she was in his arms. His Helen could really truly be his.

Though it scared him, Vic knew what it was like to be alone completely. No matter what happened he refused to let this perfect moment with this perfect woman become his biggest 'What If' in life. He loved her plain in simple, and through so many years his feelings hadn't been diminished. If anyone deserved this it was him.

He kissed her again, this time a little longer. A shiver of pleasure shocked his nerves as she kissed him back. "Come on, Helen. We-We could make it work."

Helena gave him another clumsy kiss. "N-No, Vic -Q-, I don't-"

His breathing increased as he pressed his mouth against her own. Hard. He held her to him as she trembled whispering for her to relax and let go.

Helena glanced up timidly and simply stared. She caught sight of Vic's flushed face and unsure expression and felt her stomach tighten. She cared for this man more than she had ever realized. At that moment Helen wanted nothing more than to throw away her worries, pull him close, and feel him inside of her.

She craned her neck up and Vic bit his lip as he inhaled her perfume. She...She was going to do it. Helena was going to give him what he'd craved for so very long.

"I'm not interrupting something here, am I?"

They instantly jolted their gazes up to see an overweight man in overalls looking through the mirror awkwardly. "I'm Mike from AAA. You know, for your car."

Helena's face reddened as she tore herself away from Vic, furiously buttoning up her coat as she stomped out of the car. Vic stood up and quickly moved to follow her.

As the mechanic moved towards the hood, Helena stumbled away from the car and onto the road away from the car and (more importantly Q) as possible.

"Helen? Helen!" He cried, breaking into a jog to catch up to her. Q caught hold of her shoulder, "Wait, damn it!"

"D-Don't you dare, Q!" Helen gasped, "Let me go."

"What? No. I-I don't understand, we were just going to-"

"Moment of weakness." Helen replied dismissively, trying not to let her emotions show. "It won't happen again."

Vic glared at her. "Weakness?"

"Yes."

"...I don't get you." He gritted out, "At all. You're stubborn, a pain in the ass, moody, and indecisive. It's a huge turn-on."

Before she could reply, he gave her another kiss. "Hurry up and make up your mind. Aside from the ingredients in the coffee you drink affecting your ability to make decisions I know you're scared. Don't be."

Helen scowled at him, but it didn't hide the want in her eyes. She wanted him and it was thrilling, even if she refused to acknowledge it. Though why she wouldn't confess was lost on him.

Sometimes Question thought Helena was even crazier than him.

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><p><strong>AN Only two chapters left. We're nearing the end, people.**

**A/N Review please!**


	27. Love Is Patient, Love Is Tragic

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**Thank you all for reviewing:)**

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><p><em>Question stole a look at Huntress lurched on top of the ledge on the building they were on out of the corner of his eye.<em>

_"I should've brought my winter uniform." She shivered, "It's freezing out here."_

_"Want to borrow my coat?"_

_"Nah." She sighed, "So how much longer do we have until patrol ends?"_

_He checked his watch. "Seventeen more minutes and we're free."_

_"Thank God." Helena muttered, "I hate winter patrol. It's boring and I always freeze my ass off."_

_"It's better than summer patrol." Vic opined, "Hot and humid nights with no end in sight."_

_"I like summer." Helen frowned, "My outfit keeps me cool and I don't have any brats to teach until September."_

_"And I prefer winter because my uniform keeps me warm." Q finished, "Guess we all have times of the year when we have to be tough."_

_"I guess." She conceded, looking down at the city. "Isn't Gotham so beautiful at night?"_

_"You mean aside from the corruption, pollution, robberies, rapes, and murders?"_

_She scowled at him. "Ha-ha."_

_"Yes, I think it is beautiful." He looked at Helena thoughtfully. "Very, very beautiful."_

_For a few moments a comfortable silence ensued until Q once again began to talk. "So, how are the kids?"_

_Helena thought of her three children and smiled. "Good, but they miss their Uncle Vic. You haven't been around as much as you normally are."_

_"I've been busy; tell them I'll come over this weekend." He replied, "Kind of surprised you let me near them, actually."_

_"Why?"_

_"Don't really know." He shrugged, "Not exactly a good influence. People in general don't really like having me around, much less around their kids."_

_"Well I do." Huntress said defiantly. "Screw everyone else."_

_"Have I ever told you how nice it is to have someone think that?" Vic chuckled._

_Helena smiled at him and his head felt fuzzy. "Besides, Roger thinks it's cool you watch them for free."_

_He tensed up at the name of Helena's husband but tried not to let it show. "He does?"_

_"Yep." She confirmed with a nod. "He does like you, you know. He just thinks you're a little too paranoid."_

_"With all the chaos and corruption in the world someone has to be." He looked at her curiously. "Do you?"_

_"Is that a trick question?" She teased, "Of course I think you're paranoid, but you wouldn't be you if you weren't."_

_He ignored the warmth her answer gave him as it traveled through his body. "Glad someone thinks so."_

_"Don't be so hard on yourself." She scolded, "A lot of people like you."_

_"Hurm." He decided to change the subject. "I hear Batman finally is considering retirement."_

_"Yeah, right." Helena snorted, "Mark my words he's just going to end up fighting crime in a new glorified bat suit."_

_"Probably." He conceded, "I don't think Bruce will ever fully retire."_

_"True, he'll probably be eighty and monitoring the new Batman from his house." A thought occurred to her, "Who told you that?"_

_"Oliver." He replied, checking his watch. "4 AM, we're finished with patrol."_

_"Good." Helena smiled, standing up and stretching. She shot Vic a grin as she prepared to leave. "Bye, Q."_

_"Goodnight, Helena." He replied quietly as she leaped off the roof and left him alone on the darkness, running home to her husband and children._

_He fought back a longing sigh as he watched her go. She was beautiful, she treated him like an actual human being, and she had the most incredible right-hook he'd ever seen. That, among a million other things, made her the most incredible woman he'd ever met._

_That's why he was secretly in love with her._

* * *

><p>Love.<p>

What is 'love'? It is a question that philosophers have debated since the beginning of time and was at one point a hit song in the 90's. Love is neither common nor rare. It is acceptance and tolerance hand-in-hand with jealousy and fury. It is the most complex emotion any human could ever experience yet it is the most sought after sensation.

Vic Sage had been in love with Helena Bertinelli for many years. It had ranged from a whirl winded tunnel of emotional chaos to lying in bed alone and wishing to hold her close. It was a love that had gone through marriage and countless nights spent alone without dwindling. He supposed he could have been vain about such an accomplishment, but it didn't seem like a challenge.

To love Helena was to walk. A challenge at fist one might resent, but after time something you become accustomed to as breathing and just as vital. It wasn't perfect love. His love was quiet and shy, tinted with lust and loneliness but fueled with the desire to be connected not only emotionally but physically as well.

How it happened was pure chance; a random jumble of events resulting one of life's greatest treasures. It was an unintentional sensation that was half curse half blessing. It was an isle of heaven trapped in hell, the Purgatory of the heart.

To love the forbidden was to contain a hurricane of emotions inside and to lock it up where it would remain a mere shower. It was to yearn for heat and comfort and receive a blizzard on the streets.

Witnessing a loved one fall for someone else was a torture Hitler himself wouldn't have cast upon his captives in concentration camps. It made you bleed sorrow while the glimmering knife used to cut you was being held by none other than the one you held dear. To be blunt, to love someone who felt differently was a bitch.

Helena herself had been in love with Roger. What she had felt had been unconditional and wonderful, but it was always tempered with the need to lie about who she was. Even still, she had loved her husband.

What she was feeling towards Q was terrifyingly similar to the love she had at one point felt for Roger. When she saw him she longed to have him hold her and keep her safe from the world. She wanted to call him hers and protect him from anyone who dared to spread gossip about him. What pulsed through her body when they were around each other was like nothing she'd ever experienced. Like a lizard seeking heat on a desert rock Helena craved him.

She tried to convince herself it was glamorized lust brought on by a dry spell of almost nine months. Desire masking itself as affection. She was close to Q, so naturally it made sense for her to seek out a trusted male companion to satisfy her.

Not that she would ever bow down and give in to her desire.

Helena glanced at Vic to catch him staring at her. Commonly polite social conduct called for him to look away or maybe say something, but he simply kept staring. Helen broke away from his gaze and tried to study the city beneath her with little success.

She could still feel Q's eyes burning into her from behind his mask. Though they were both dressed in their 'work' uniforms no mask could disguise their true selves no matter how hard they tried.

Something had changed between the two of them. Something had changed and Helena didn't like it. She wanted to erase what had been done and go back to a simpler time where Roger was not just a good man but _her _man and Q was nothing more than a great friend.

If only, if only.

Now it was too late to go back.

* * *

><p>Allessandro Copperilli stared at the glimmering weapon in his hand.<p>

Guns were so misunderstood. They weren't anything to be feared; they were a thing to admire. Such sleek, untamable power in a smooth barrel, the decision on whether your victim was granted life or death.

To have a gun was to be God.

He smiled and traced a finger over the trigger lovingly, thoughts of the whore's blood running the streets red making him mad with happiness. Her pretty little eyes would flutter as a gasp emitted from her chest and she would fall dead.

They would all fall. Everyone who had ever messed with him did. Even old Papa dearest wasn't spared the cruelty of murder after all those times he had hit the assassin growing up.

The hitting gave him anger. Anger gave him strength. Strength was what he was going to use along with power to take away the only obstacle left in his plan for becoming the Boss of the Cosa Nostra.

The plan would start tonight.

* * *

><p>Helena cast Q an uneasy look as the sounds of the city echoed in the night.<p>

She wished he wasn't here with her right now. She wished she was all alone on this roof, the city whispering into her ear like a lover and telling her its sins and secrets. A slight shiver shocked her nerves as Helen imagined Vic doing the same.

"Something wrong?"

Yes, it was. Everything was wrong right now and Helena didn't know how to make it right. "No."

"Must you lie?"

"I'm not lying."

"I beg to differ."

"Shut up."

Though his mask hid his face, she could tell he was peering at her curiously. Vic Sage wasn't a man to simply accept things for the way they were; he wanted to know why they were that way.

Women were complicated, and Helena was no exception to that rule. But he loved her and tried to get past it. "Care to tell me what's wrong?"

"No."

"Hurm. Is it your children?"

"No."

"Work?"

"No."

"Vigilante business?"

"No."

"Roger?"

"No."

"Me?"

A slight hint of hesitation. "No."

"Ah. Worried about 'us', I take it?"

Helen looked down at the street beneath them. "Maybe."

"Don't see what's so bad about the two of us exploring other aspects and fulfilling different roles with each other." Q muttered, "I'm a man, you're a woman. We know each other and care about each other. Why is it so complex with you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I do."

Helen opened her mouth to respond when a gunshot sliced through the evening's normal rhythm. "What the hell?" She exclaimed, grabbing her bow and leaping to her feet.

Q did the same as the two traced the sound back to where it had came from. The silhouette of a tall man below dressed with a thick black coat with a smoldering gun in his hand stuck out like a sore thumb.

It didn't take a detective to deduce where the shot had been fired.

Huntress grumbled under her breath something about allowing dumbasses to bear arms and broke into a sprint on the rooftop and down a fire escape, Question in tow.

Why the man had fired the gun was unknown to her, but Helen was going to make damn sure it didn't happen again.

"Drop the weapon!"

The man turned around, greeting them with a shot to the sky and a smile. "Ciao, Signora Bertinelli. I have been waiting to see you for some time now."

Alarm bells instantly went off in the Italian's head. Who the hell was this guy and how did he know who she was? "What are you talking about?" Helena demanded, tightening her grip on her crossbow.

The man lifted up his face and stared at her. "You, _bella dona_. You think dressing like a _mignotta _is going to be enough of a distraction to keep me from killing you? Please."

Vic clenched his fists and took a protective step forward. "Excuse me?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Allessandro Copperilli, assassin of the _Cosa Nostra_. In addition, I shall also be the reaper of your life this evening."

"My, aren't we full of ourselves?" Helena scowled, "I've swallowed scarier looking things than you."

As she egged him on, Q found himself fighting back his insanely primal urge to pull her back and away from danger. He always struggled with it while they were in these situations and knew Helena could take care of herself, but it was still present. Recently it had only grown, which did little to help him.

The name Allessandro Copperilli surfaced pages of knowledge Vic had gained upon researching the Mafia. He was their top assassin and most often used by Boss's right-hand men to off their superiors and become the Don.

His declaration about finishing off Helen piped up worry within Q.

"Why do I doubt you are a stranger to 'swallowing' whatever is put in your face?" Allessandro smirked, "I'm sure your little husband must have loved that before he was whacked."

Helen froze. "...What did you just say?"

Allessandro's lips curled into a smile. "I said your husband must have loved that before he was murdered."

"Roger's...dead? N-No he isn't."

"Don't be a fool, _baldracca_. I killed him myself."

Her mind struggled to comprehend what precisely he was saying. Roger-Roger was _dead_? No, that was impossible! He couldn't have just died!

Helen no longer loved Roger like a husband or a lover. That ship had sailed the moment she was informed of his habits when it came to sleeping with other women. Her heart no longer held the kind of love one would give to a lover, but that didn't mean she was completely heartless.

Roger had been her husband for fifteen years. In those fifteen years they had shared a bed, shared a home, and shared their love. He had given her three children that were her soul and memories that despite the end of their relationship made her still smile.

After all they had been through together it would have been inhuman not to feel the sting of loss at the assassin's claim. Helena had loved Roger; there was no use in lying about it. If this cocky bastard had harmed her ex-husband severely (Or, as he had bragged, had managed to slice the strings of his life and kill him) then Helen was about to put some serious hurt on him.

"You're lying."

"Am I?" He asked quietly, "Then why hasn't he returned your calls, little Bertinelli? Why has he seemingly abandoned you and your children?"

"Shut up."

"Why else would he simply disappear off the face of the Earth, _porca_? You and I both know the answer to it."

"Shut up!"

"It's because you know deep down that when I say I shot your husband and killed him it's true. Say what you want, whore, but that won't change the fact that his corpse is chained to the ground of the Gotham River."

"Shut, _UP_!" Helena shouted, charging forward.

The assassin was ready for her, lazily taking up a stance. Huntress's leg was thrown out as she aimed a kick at his head, but Allessandro intercepted it and blocked her with his wrist.

The steady pounding of flesh hitting flesh thundered through the night as the two Italian's sparred in a blur. Kicks were shared and punches returned as they dueled.

A low gasp of pain emitted from his lips as the wet, metallic taste of blood flooded through Allessandro's mouth. The _puttana _had actually managed to draw blood. He responded by curling up his arm and digging his elbow deep into her stomach, earning himself a groan of agony from his opponent.

Seizing the opportunity he threw his arm back, curled his fist, and prepared the deliver a blow that would leave her unconscious.

He could have easily avoided all this trouble and bruising by simply skipping all this unneeded fighting and shooting her with his favorite handheld, but where was the fun in that? Making a kill to Allessandro was a game of cat and mouse. He preferred to toy with his prey and let it think it possibly stood a chance before delivering the final blow.

He teased. He taunted. He always won. To the assassin, killing was a game, and in this game he was always the champion.

It was going well for him. The Italian was quickly picking up on Huntress's fighting style as their battle progressed. He figured that in a few short moments she would be completely disarmed.

That is, until a hand came from behind him and collided with his spine.

He howled, dropping to his knees in agony as Helen spun around to see Question standing behind her with his fists still in the air.

"Why did you do that? I had him!" Huntress snapped.

"He was watching you closely, Huntress. Learning all your moves and styles. Didn't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Q! I don't need anyone but myself!"

The dual meaning of her words didn't click until they were out of her mouth. She bit her lip as Q momentarily stood there lost in time, soaking in her words.

Q should have known all along his real friend in the world was his mask. It was his mask that gave him strength, his mask that encouraged him. His mask allowed him to take matters into his own hands and try to help fix the world.

Now it was his wall against reality. Through it he could see and hear Helen tell him that she neither wanted nor needed someone, yet it gave him all the power he needed. He wasn't Vic Sage, news reporter from Hub City that had never in his life been wanted or cared about; he was The Question, masked vigilante from Helltown that did something about the shape the world was in.

Nothing was going to break him, especially not some woman.

"Fine." He said, his tone specifically nonchalant. "Always be alone."

Helen opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't what she meant when the assassin jumped to his feet once more.

_No more games. _He thought to himself as he pulled out a knife and headed towards the faceless man. Question, or something like that.

"Q, look out!" Helen cried as her friend turned to meet his attacker just in time.

Question ducked as the knife sliced through the air, missing the back of his neck by millimeters and skimming his hair. Allessandro quickly spun on his heels and repositioned the blade to stab the other man.

Vic, anticipating the attack, quickly dodged him and used the man's lack of balance to his advantage by punching him in the gut. Q preferred to be behind a desk for the most part and take on the real enemies of the world with his mind, but that didn't mean he was clueless about how to fight. If anything it granted him the ability to be underestimated.

Helen leaped into the air and fired a rapid kick to the man's head. Disoriented, he stumbled to the side allowing Vic to jab a hand at his throat and make the assassin howl.

"Get off me you _pisello_!" He roared, "It's the Bertinelli bitch I want!"

He shoved Vic to the side and once again began to attack Helena. A whirlwind of fists and feet connecting in a power struggle similar to a lion fighting a tiger. Helena, a gymnast at heart, had the obvious advantage of flexibility while Allessandro relied more on his brute strength.

The odds were even, a revelation that made Vic uneasy.

He attempted to get back in on the action but ceased his efforts when Helen barked at him to stay away. It was an order that pained him. Instinctively he craved being able to protect her, but realistically he knew he would just end up in trouble.

Helen ignored the gush of blood draining from her wrist as it made contact with Allessandro's blade. It was only a small scratch, but the area bled heavily nonetheless.

Allessandro smirked as the first noticeable wound on Helena appeared. Good. He was glad to make some progress. Now that his knife was introduced to the presence and feel of her blood like a hound dog tailing a scent. The beautiful metal gleamed in the moonlight as it sliced through the sky and danced around his soon to be dead target.

Her face taunted him as they fought. So determined and vicious yet frustratingly gorgeous. Oh, how he longed to slice it up and make it as ugly as she was on the outside. What was stopping him? Aside from a few rough blocks he reckoned he could do it.

He did.

Helena hissed as a tear of blood trickled down her cheekbone knowing it would soon begin to pour like rain. Damn it! Not only did it hurt but it was getting into her eyes and making fighting more difficult.

Q seemed to pick up on this fact and that combined with watching such a deadly weapon collide with his beloved's face made him forget her warning and attack with a kick to the man's side as he was distracted.

How dare the bastard hurt her! How dare he draw blood from a goddess gracing the Earth with her beauty! More importantly, how dare he hurt his woman, his friend!

His Helen.

Seeing the weapon get so close to something so precious set something off in Vic that had been dormant since Cadmus tortured him. Without taking a moment to breathe he speared the man in the neck with his fingers.

Allessandro's head was thrown back with a jolt as he saw stars. His vision reddened as his neck throbbed from where the man had speared him. The bastard was going to pay for that.

Q turned around to check on Huntress to make sure she was alright. If she was safe then everything would be okay. Relief swarmed throughout his body as he caught sight of her crossly rubbing her wound and applying pressure to make the bleeding stop.

Allessandro would go to jail for this, and if what he said about Roger was true then he would never get out. Helen would kiss his own wounds to 'make it better' and they would spend the rest of their lives in peace.

Vic figured this would be one of his last hand-to-hand fights for a while. He was getting too old for this shit and was looking forward to retiring and focusing on his theories completely, but more as a hobby. Though Helen insisted she didn't want a romantic relationship he would still pester her for a date until he could make her give in to her temptation.

Q was nothing if not resilient.

He offered her his hand and felt a pleasant satisfaction lazily drift through him as Helen smiled softly. It vanished the moment her smile was replaced by a concerned look and she cried, "Look out!"

Vic didn't get the chance. Next thing he knew there was a hand around his neck and he was being choked.

Allessandro grinned wickedly as his fingers curled around the man's throat. He could feel his pulse against his palm and the simple knowledge that he could make it stop whenever he chose gave him a twisted sense of pleasure.

Without a second thought Helen snatched her bow out of her belt and aimed it towards the assassin. "Put him down you _figlio di puttana _or I'll drive an arrow through your brain!"

Allessandro pulled his own TBK-059 out of his pocket and pointed it towards her. "Don't bother, you're both going to be dead soon."

Her mind raced as she tried to imagine this maniac killing Vic. Sweet, obsessive Q who had expressed a desire to become more than friends but never once acted disrespectful. Could she bear to lose him?

Helen wasn't sure.

"Put him down, now."

"Make me."

She cocked her trigger. "Don't think I won't."

Vic's vision was beginning to darken as Allessandro tightened his fist around his neck. He heard Huntress threaten to kill him and immediately realized he needed to escape before she did something so horrible.

Remembering a move Richard Dragon had taught him while training, he gathered up a breath and prepared to deliver a devastating kick that would cause his ribs to cave in and kill the man. All he needed to do was kick his legs backwards and knee him directly over his lungs.

Sucking in as deep of a breath as he could manage, Q tensed his muscles, shot up his legs, and reversed kicked him with a loud thud.

Precisely as Helena shot him with her crossbow.

It would never be determined if it was Vic's kick or Helena's arrow that killed the man. Not that either of them really cared. All that mattered was he was dead and they were (at least for the moment) safe.

"That was brilliant." Helen murmured as Q approached her. "But which one of us killed him?"

"Don't know. Doubt we ever will."

"The all-powerful Q unable to solve something? Never." Helena teased, resting a hand on his cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Of course."

Unknown to the two vigilantes as they talked, Allessandro twitched from where he lay on the ground. He groggily opened up his eyes, glaring at them with a burning hatred that seemed endless. Copperilli had come here on a mission: kill the last Bertinelli.

He intended to finish it.

His breathing coming out in regard gasps as blood oozed around his dying body, he reached for the gun like a child seeking comfort. No way was the little whore going to escape this easily. He was going to off her like he was supposed to.

From where he lay in the feeble position on the cemented ground, Allessandro raised the gun and pointed it at Helena.

Everything in life is caused by choices and decisions that mold the future. An entire line of family seemingly so stable and destined can be traced back to something as mediocre as a pencil dropping. Yes, even something as basic as that.

Not to say that big decisions aren't important as well. Often it is the seemingly bigger impulses we indulge in that create rifts and waves in the sea of life. But is that to say they're more valuable than little decisions?

No, not at all.

If Q didn't have a spilt-second thought about the trajectory of where Helen's arrow landed versus the time he connected with the assassin, he might not have looked back at the body. If that happened, he might not have seen him raise the gun and point it at Helen.

He might not have had time to jump in front of her as Allessandro fired a shot –the last thing he would ever do- and aim it at Helena.

It wasn't heroic in Vic's mind. In fact when the bullet spilt through his chest his only thought was that it might stain his shirt.

Getting in front of Huntress and taking a bullet for her almost seemed like a cowardly thing to do. Vic would have loved to say that he did it because it was brave or heroic, but really he did it because thinking of life without Helena was scary.

She was his confident, his best friend, and the love of his life. As he fell to the ground, blood spewing from his chest like a waterfall, Helena was also an angel ushering him to life after death, if such a thing existed.

"Q!" Huntress shrieked, taking a step forward to catch him and cradle him to her. "Vic!"

She wrapped her arms around him, flinching as the warmth and wetness of his blood coated her hands. "No, Q. Damn it, no!" Helen cried as she lowered them both onto the ground and laid him down.

Without a second thought she pulled a can of aerosol out of his pocket and sprayed it onto his face, peeling off his mask to reveal a pair of tired blue eyes and a pained expression. "Vic, babydoll, come on. Be okay." Helena pleaded as she frantically ran a hand through his hair and placed the other on his chest.

"Thought… Thought if I helped you it'd get your attention." He choked out, trying to tell his story. "Always tried so damn hard."

"What?"

Despite everything happening, Q began to laugh. Not a happy chuckle, but a low, bitter convulsion. Something about it all seemed like a big damn joke and it was all on him. Life's biggest irony finally knocking him down like it had tried to for so many years.

It pained him to think the Universe might finally have beaten him.

"Wanted-Wanted you to notice me." Vic rasped, "So lonely, 'Len. So, so lonely. Figured you…figured you would cure it."

She ran a hand down his cheek, her eyes swelling with tears. "Vic, what?"

"Used to think of you kissing me. Never could figure out why." He smiled sadly, only semiconscious. "Wanted you to."

He looked up at her. At least if he really did die then he would leave this Earth seeing the most beautiful thing it had to offer. A tainted angel no one but him could ever truly appreciate.

"So pretty, 'Lena. You're-You're so pretty." Q mumbled, "Ever tell you that?"

"Yes, y-yes you did." Helena whispered, tears beginning to trickle down her face. For some reason they didn't make her feel weak like they normally did.

"No, don't cry." Vic pleaded, shakily capturing her hand in his and clutching it as tight as he could. "Please."

"Don't you dare leave me, you asshole! Don't you dare!" Helen shouted, beginning to cry even harder.

His lips flickered into a small smile. "Not my decision. Always-Always tried so hard to be him."

"Be who?"

"A good man. Your good man. Never…Never could. Too messed up." He admitted quietly, the feeling of Helena's hand fading more rapidly with each passing second. It was a pity, too. He enjoyed the way her hand felt in his.

He thought of the other world where they were together and wondered if there was a Heaven if that would be it. Not that it mattered. If there was a life after death then he was undoubtedly going to Hell.

"No, baby, don't go." Helen begged, "P-Please don't go, Vic. I can't… I can't go on alone."

"Can to." He muttered, "Too strong."

"I don't want to."

"Don't have a choice."

"Don't say that!" She snapped, reaching into his pocket and digging out his communicator. Huntress pressed it to her ear frantically and began to speak into it. "J'onn! J'onn!"

Silence.

"Damn it, J'onn! Somebody answer me! God, somebody please answer it! Answer it, damn it, answer it…"

She felt Vic kiss her hand as he shushed her. "Shh. S'okay, Helen. It's all finally going to be okay."

And it was. No more pain, no more struggle. No more dealing with finance or listening to people gossip about him on the Tower. No more sadness, no more anything.

No more Helena.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Helen pressing a hard, demanding kiss onto his lips. It was meant to be seductive, to convince him to stay with her. Despite the blood pooling up around him Helena mashed their lips together with inferno and fear of loss as she slid a hand onto his belt.

The irony that the most he ever felt alive occurred moments before his death was not lost to Vic. Helena had laced her lips with his and he didn't protest.

When Helen parted their mouths to breath he snatched the moment to finish his departing speech. "Thank you."

"What-What for?" She whimpered, her lips trembling in a way that made him ache. Why did the world have to be so cruel? The angels must have looked down on them, saw what they were becoming, and snatched a love like theirs back to the Heaven's where it came from.

"Everything. Being here. Putting up with me."

She smiled wobbly and brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. "And thank you for doing the same, babydoll."

"Letter.''

"What?"

"Write-Write up a letter on my computer every now and again to you. Read it."

"O-Okay."

He knew time was running out. In a few moments he would be gone. "Len?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

For a moment, Helena's heart stopped beating. He-He loved her? Since when? How? Why? There were so many questions but so little time. God damn it, why did it have to be this way?

Without thinking she bent her head forward, leaned down, and kissed him. This kiss was different from the others; sweeter, more loving.

More tragic.

"I love you too." Helena whispered once they broke apart. "I-I was so afraid to admit it but I do. I-I love you, Vic."

Despite the immense pain he must have been in, he smiled and looked at her with such happiness her heart ached. The last words he would ever hear would be the ones he had been dying to hear for years.

It was irony at its cruelest.

In a movie there would have been a long, romantic farewell. In a movie there would have been a miraculous ending and Q would have somehow lived.

But life was no movie.

Not thirty seconds after he had confessed his adoration, Helena no longer could feel him breathing in her arms. Panicked, she checked his wrists for a pulse before bursting into hysterical tears.

"N-No, Vic! No!" She moaned, flailing her arms onto his chest and burying her face into his neck as her tears and his blood swirled onto the ground they were in. People began to venture out of their homes and into the street to see what was happening.

After all, the most feared and violent vigilante in Gotham crying over a corpse was strange even for Gotham city.

"Come back, Q, please! Come on baby, just speak to me. We-We can be together now, Vic. We-We can finally be together." She wept, clinging to him as thought he would cleanse her soul and free her from the damnation of a life alone. "Vic, _please_!"

But it was useless. Her tears did nothing to revive him; her frantic kisses pressed against his body were helpless for reclaiming his soul. Try as she might, there was nothing she could do to save her newly christened love and old-time friend.

Vic Sage was dead.

* * *

><p><strong>AN All reviews welcome**


	28. Epilogue

**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to DC and Warner Bros.**

**An enormous thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story for all this time and an even bigger thanks to those who reviewed. I read and appreciated every single one:)**

**Now, I present to you the grand conclusion.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Death:<em>**

**_The action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of life of an organism_**

_Vic rolled over and threw an arm around the waist of the sleeping silhouette next to him._

_"Are you awake?"_

_"Mm, now I am."_

_He mentally cursed himself and opened his mouth to apologize for awakening the angel next to him when Helen turned to face him, placing a hand on his chest. He gulped quietly as she looked up at him with her doe eyes, staring straight into his soul. God, he loved her. He loved her so much and here she was his, his, his._

_This place didn't have a name; the spirits residing in it simply referred to it as Eternal. The name didn't matter. All that mattered was that death was an illusion brought on by humanity's inability to filter reality and that energy released in death went somewhere._

_Which, coincidentally, was where Vic (or what remained of him) was._

_The greatest thing about Eternal was that since there was no physical mind anything one wished to do was done with a simple thought. Anything -or even more importantly anyone- was brought to him or accomplished. Here, he had ditched the unchangeable corruption of Hub City and moved to a cabin in the mountains where he could be alone. Here, he knew everything about his past from the name of the ship his ancestors docked to America on to his parent's anniversary. Yes, here he had parents._

_Tot was his father, a woman by the name of Margaret his mother. The childhood in an orphanage filled with abuse and neglect was replaced by an infinitely happier one with an actual family. In this world, he wasn't socially awkward or weird; he was respected and left alone. In Eternal, everything that had ever weighed him down was simply gone._

_And here, he had Helena._

_Naked and beautiful, she lay in his bed next to him. Q could feel the comforting whisper of her breath on his chest, her hair spiraling onto his bare skin. She was the crown jewel of his kingdom. Not only was she his friend, but she was also his lover. His Helen to protect and keep safely away from the rest of the world where people tried to hurt her. Since this perfect world was for them both to share, he had gone ahead and undid the more painful parts of her childhood and going so far as to prevent her parents murder while keeping her current character intact. _

_It was one of the many things about this place that he loved._

_Helena's adoration of him was like nothing he'd ever experienced. In many ways it was like their friendship, but with significant differences. There was a sort of connection between them that made them inseparable. Something that chained them together. With their pain gone all that was left for them to share here was love and joy._

_Vic sighed and laid his head back as Helen scooted up her chin to kiss his neck. In many ways death was like the last kiss he and Helena had shared on Earth; sweet with an underlying sadness. His body trembled beneath the thin cotton sheet as Helen shushed him and murmured not to worry._

_"Vic, baby, it's okay." She cooed, "Shhh..."_

_He sucked in a deep breath trying to calm the chaos of his mind. "I know."_

_Everything was okay in Eternal. No, it was more than okay; it was absolutely perfect. He had managed to create a perfect world for him and his beloved without the pressures or problems Earth had cursed upon him. Here, they were happy and so very safe._

_Here, they were together._

_Vic held Helena's body close to his, lazily kissing her temple with a sigh. "I love you."_

_"I love you too, babydoll." She smiled brightly._

_For once Q didn't question it. Instead he merely nodded and rubbed her back. This was Eternal, after all. In a world where everything was perfect and blissful he never doubted those words._

_Vic Sage had found life's greatest joy in the comfort of death._

* * *

><p>With a heavy heart and a sigh, Helena Bertinelli opened the door to Vic's apartment.<p>

She didn't give a damn if anyone said otherwise. Whether he was still alive or not this would always be Q's apartment.

His presence still was painfully obvious in what was at one time his home. The floor was littered with papers, his coat was hanging off a chair, and in his living room the Conspiracy Board was hung up proudly on the wall.

Not even a full minute into being here and Helena already felt like crying.

How could he have just died? What universal force could have possibly been so cruel that it took away the only thing in her future that promised to be wonderful? Why, with all the scum populating this planet, did Vic of all people have to be stolen from her?

It wasn't fair.

Why did he have to be so stupid and take a bullet for her? God, it wasn't like she didn't appreciate it or anything but still! That didn't make up for the fact that he was gone and never coming back. It did nothing to condensate for the emptiness in her heart left by him. It didn't give him an excuse for abandoning her.

It wasn't fair.

She quietly strolled into the empty apartment, her yes instantly falling onto the Conspiracy Board. When they had first met the exact same thing had happened. Something about that glorified piece of cardboard called out to her and begged to be looked at. It called out to her like a lover opening their arms for an embrace, which Q would never get to do now.

It wasn't fair.

Helen obediently complied to its beckoning and headed towards it. Most of these theories she was already up to date with. The government being behind 9/11? Old news. Elvis Presley having an identical twin? Now that was new. Where did Q even come up with half of this stuff? Or for a better question how on Earth could he possibly prove this was true?

Helena gulped when she realized he never would prove any of them now.

It. Wasn't. Fair.

Looking at the board was too painful. Unable to take any more of it, Helen turned away and headed towards his bedroom. The last time she'd been in here his room had been just as messy (Vic had never exactly been a neat-freak) but the bed had been smaller. She smiled when she realized it must have meant he found someone to share it with.

She frowned when she realized it had been meant for the two of them to share.

Lips beginning to tremble, Helena quickly took a shaky breath and began to search for his laptop. She fumbled around blindly for a few minutes before her eyes locked onto it hidden on a shelf in the closet half hidden by a shirt on the floor. Damn Q's inability to be tidy!

Her legs trembled as she got up, but she ignored them and walked towards her destination. The laptop was simple and unimpressive; no one would have ever guessed that on it there was the amount of information equivalent to what the Government possessed if not even more. It was simplistic genius.

In other words, completely Vic.

As the laptop was starting up Helena's mind began to wander. Sitting on his bed she realized that this could have been _their_ bed if she wasn't so stupid or stubborn. _Their_ bed in _their_ apartment in _their _city.

Thinking about what she could have had with Q made her cry.

He loved her. She didn't know it then but she knew it now. In his dying moments he had chosen his last words to be that he loved her and thought she was beautiful. Such a selfless act that came so painstakingly naturally for Vic when she herself couldn't even allow her own self to give them a try. How Vic had ever thought she was perfect was lost on Helena; she was so flawed that sometimes she wondered how he could stand to be around her.

When had this all started? Had he felt this way all along? Just recently? Did he really think she was gorgeous? Helena didn't know, but she was going to find out.

Maybe the letter he had mentioned would clear this all up.

Her fingers danced along the keyboard as she typed in his latest password (a supposedly random set of numbers that were in fact the date of the first time he hacked NASA) as her heart began to pound in her chest. Q had never mentioned a letter before. When had he written it? What was on it? There were so many questions in her mind Helena felt as though she was Vic himself.

It only took her a few moments to locate the file on the screen. After that it was smooth sailing. As her index finger hovered over the keyboard she suddenly froze. What if there was something bad on here that she didn't want to see? What if this contained a secret Vic couldn't bring himself to share with her? What if it shattered her fond memories of him?

What if it brought everything into clarity?

She clicked on the file and began to read.

_My dearest Helena,_

_While I know we were never a couple in the strictest sense that is exactly what you have always been to me: My Helena. Nobody else's but mine to love and care for. Even though the ring you wore on your finger clearly made you Roger's in the legal sense in my eyes you have always been mine._

_I suppose you are wondering why I would keep a letter about something like this saved on my hard drive. As you have undoubtedly figured out in the many years we've known each other, I have a tendency to be just a little on the paranoid side. In our line of work the possibility of death constantly looms over us, and though I have kept quiet about my thoughts and emotions concerning you for almost a quarter of my life I doubt I could keep my silence in death. With that in mind, I have constructed a letter to explain to you how I have felt in case something happens to me and I am unable to tell you personally. I took it upon myself to update it with a new one every year that passes, and as you can probably guess my letters along with the depth of my emotions have grown as the years flew by. But that is the past and this is the present._

_I love you now, but the course of my affections began many years ago. The truth is that you fascinated me from the start. When I first caught sight of you in the Watchtower during Superman's original meeting concerning the expansion of the League I saw you standing in and out from the crowd. You were surrounded by them, yet isolation danced around you. You didn't belong there with all the larger than life heroes dressed in obnoxious colors and so open about their deeds. Just like I didn't._

_I had found an equal._

_An attractive equal at that. While I never exactly sought you ought as a possible lover, I did take note of that. I was surrounded by beautiful women at all hours on the Watchtower, women that other men would have killed to spend the night with, but I always thought you were the most attractive. Your costume was certainly more conservative than, say, Wonder Woman's, but you still managed to show off an ample amount of flesh. The lines on your leotard followed your curves perfectly and framed your figure like a picture. You presented your body as it was with no corset to amplify your figure, no bra that gave the illusion of extra breasts, and no apologies. You were as you were and you were proud of it._

_The courage and confidence it took to dress like you did drew me in almost as much as your sense of independence. You were simply fascinating. But there was so little about you that I knew, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to get to know__you__. No, not Helena Bertinelli the Mafia Princess or the angel of death that was Huntress. I wanted to know the real you: Helen. Nobody seemed to know her, just the facade of Helena or Huntress. Perhaps the Helen I wanted to experience didn't even exist. In the weeks that I had noticed you I was uncertain of how to proceed on initiating a conversation. What would I say? Would you even want to talk to me? Where or when would I do this? My questions were answered when you barged into my room one evening demanding I help you._

_To say I was surprised you came to me would be a severe understatement. I was flabbergasted. Flabbergasted, but not upset. If anything I was secretly pleased you had sought me ought for my intelligence. You jumped on my desk and crossed your legs, batting your eyes and telling me you needed help. I am not a fool. While I'm not very experienced with flirting I could recognize it._

_I didn't try and kid myself that you were flirting because you found me appealing. You needed information and I was your means to get it. Saying you had information on Cadmus was bull and we both knew it, yet it didn't bother me. I agreed to help you and thus our friendship was born. Because of your need for justice we grew close and became friends. Because of it, I got what I wanted and got to know you. As the night progressed I discovered that I had been very wrong about one thing; upon reading up on you I was under the impression you were my equal, but as the night wore on it became abundantly clear that you were my superior._

_I suppose it was that revelation that made me begin to wonder if telling you about my attraction was the correct way to proceed. But can you blame me? So much strength, power, and intelligence all inside someone so unbelievably gorgeous was overwhelming for me. However, I gathered my wits and put on my calm facade._

_For better or for worse, it worked._

_I'll always wondered what would have happened if I told you how I felt that night on the docks. Would you have laughed at me or mocked me? Felt awkward and simply avoid me? Maybe...Maybe you would have gone on a date with me. Maybe we could have been something. But I was a cowered and avoided confessing the truth of my intentions, muttering something about aglets. No more will I be silent. I love you, Helena. I have for a long, long time but could never work up the nerve to tell you. I find you stunningly attractive, sassy, strong, independent, intelligent, and perfect for me. I have yet in all my years seen two people as perfect for each other as we are._

_I haven't always been on love with you; it took time for my emotions to flourish. As we spent more time together I felt my simple attraction turn into a deep sense of caring. Suppose you could say I had myself a bit of a crush on you. Okay, it was more than a bit. It was actually quite large. But what significantly increased it was Cadmus. Breaking into their office to gather information was fun, but what followed it was not. I offered to take you to dinner afterward, but you politely declined saying you had a date with Roger._

_Ah yes, Roger. Your little boy-toy. I tolerated him at first, but near the end I developed a serious hatred for the bastard. But we are getting ahead of ourselves._

_After you headed to go see Roger, I found the files on my laptop. What I discovered was shocking and terrifying. For hours I contemplated how to proceed when it suddenly hit me: if something wasn't done about Luthor then the world -and more importantly you- would cease to exist. With that in mind, I quickly set out to stop him by killing him and preventing him from taking office._

_I had miscalculated one crucial thing- the influence of Brainiac. With him Luthor easily managed to capture and subdue me. They drugged me and hooked me up to one of those damned electric machines, jolting my body with electricity to get me to confess my knowledge of their actions. What I saw was beyond anything I've ever witnessed. Countless Apocalypses, tragedies that would make 9/11 look like a child knocking down a toy, and I saw...I saw you die. Many, many times. They realized it caused the strongest reaction in me and kept using it._

_In their hands I witnessed horrors that give me nightmares to this day. I saw things that sickened me and took away and naivety or innocence I may have held onto. Demons ran in fear of what they made me endure, and after time I lost all hope I would ever get out. I had not only failed Earth, but more importantly I failed you._

_I can still see you crashing in to rescue me after all these years. So strong and brave as you barrel in and tried to kill Moon. At that moment I knew you really were my angel. For some reason a higher power had sent you to me and for that I was unbelievably grateful. I still envision you so clearly after all these years supporting me on your shoulder and staring at me with so much concern. "Come on, Q. It'll be alright." You whispered, and I believed you. You were my angel, Helen, and angels did not lie._

_When you peeled the mask off my face, I expected rejection. Instead I was greeted with acceptance, joy, and -God damn me for even daring to write this- love in your eyes. In that moment I fell utterly, hopelessly, borderline delusional in love with you. Really. Never had someone done something so selfless for me-much less someone so damned beautiful. I had it bad, but it was alright. You cared about me as well; I could see it on your eyes. Together we would beat the odds and finally you would be mine, mine, mine._

_Or so I thought._

_We almost kissed. I doubt you remember it, but I do. We almost kissed and we would have if Superidiot hadn't interrupted us. Not that it mattered. After he left you excused yourself for a date with Roger and left me alone. It didn't bother me too much; after all, I was convinced you were infatuated with me and wanted me like I wanted you. Hell, maybe I wasn't as awful with women as I thought. For the first time in a long time I had hope, foolish hope, but hope nonetheless._

_Weeks passed. I healed as much as I ever would and while doing this had quite a lot of time to think. Though mostly my thoughts revolved around Luthor, Cadmus, and how this all affected the Conspiracy you were prominent in my mind quite often. During this time I made a decision-I needed to tell you how I really felt about you._

_Remember the day I brought you roses (while researching ways to win over women this suggestion came up quite often)? Doubtful, and why? In your mind it is known as the day Roger proposed to you. So stupid, Helen. I was so damned stupid it hurts to think about it. I walked up your steps and knocked on your door so very scared yet foolishly hopeful. You answered me with a blinding smile, throwing your arms around my neck and gushing about how good it was to see me._

_That was yet another one of the many mistakes I made when it came to confessing to you: thinking your joy about him was towards me. But you were smiling at me and looking so happy I was distracted. Hand wrapping around mine, you tugged me inside your apartment chattering away. 'Look at how happy you make her,' I had mused to myself. 'She has to care about me. She has to.' Laughing, you shoved you hand in front of my face and giggled in announcement that Roger had proposed to you and you two were getting married._

_I think a part of me died that day._

_But I ignored the cracks in my heart and plastered a false smile on my face. Told you that I was happy for you. You asked me curiously what the roses were for and I yet again lied saying I had already known and they were an engagement present. Everything hurt so badly. The walls seemed to close down on me and I left telling you some pitiful excuse I am unable to recall._

_When your wedding day came I was the best man. Suppose it should have been considered an honor, but damn it I wanted to be the groom! Yet I held my tongue knowing you deserved something good in your life and obediently stood at the end of the aisle. As I caught sight of you slowly beginning your stroll down the aisle, my mouth went drier than the desert. Though in my mind you were infinitely more beautiful when you saved me, you looked stunning. Such perfection, such flawlessness wrapped in warm mocha skin and it was all for me._

_At least I pretended it was. Between thoughts of Cadmus still keeping me up at night and losing you along with my sanity, it was too hard. I envisioned us lying in a bed together, nude and exploring. I thought of you on my lap as I worked. I contemplated coming home from work and finding you lying in my bed in my shirt, curled up with a book and hidden safely from the world. I thought about anything other than the Hell of the reality I was going to have to live in. I just needed you to look at me, damn it, just one little look to let me know that maybe you wished it was me you were agreeing to spend your life with._

_You never did look at me._

_You said your vows. I looked away as you kissed and stared at my shoes as though they were fascinating. Why? Why was this all happening? What had I done to deserve this? We danced that night and I held you close against my body. Our connection was so strong I could barely take it. What the hell was wrong with you! Why couldn't you feel it? You rested your head on my shoulder as I curled an arm around your waist, and to this day I have never felt more comfortable and at home then I did with you in my arms._

_Your decision to marry Roger was utterly painful. Rich, handsome, perfect, Italian Roger. I asked you if he made you happy, a selfish part of me hoping you would admit that he didn't and that you married him because I was unavailable. But instead your face lit up in a warm smile and you nodded eagerly saying that he made you happier than you had ever felt in your entire life. It hurt knowing you didn't care for me the way I loved you, and though Dinah tried to block my escape I ran out of that building so fast Wallace West would have been jealous._

_Something that I suppose I need to confess is that over the years I have turned to alcohol as a source to ease my pain. It was always there for me and made me feel better, like my drugs did in college. When there was no Helen to kiss me goodnight, I let the bottle ease against my lips and welcomed the liquor into my throat. That night in particular I needed a drink, badly. As I drank away and chased off a hooker, my memory left me and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a familiar bed next to my ex-girlfriend, Myra._

_Ah, Myra. Sweet, kind Myra. As of now you have not met her, but believe me when I say if you ever do you'll love her. She offered me comfort that night and for the next three months. But as amazing as Myra was, I couldn't get you out of my mind and in result of it we ended our relationship. It saddened me greatly, but not seeing you for so long hurt much worse. With that in mind, I went out to see you again._

_When I learned of your pregnancy I was shocked to say the least. Getting married already surpassed my imagination of domestic things I thought you would do, but children? What would posses you to so much think of them? I suppose that even if you could have gotten rid of it you wouldn't; the child was yours and you were going to love it no matter what. That posed as a problem for me. See, I loved you and thought of the child as yet another guarantee that we would never be. I resented it and feared I would hate it upon its arrival onto this planet._

_I lied and told you I was happy for you. Your smile did nothing but assure me that I had done the right thing. I did my best to try and be a better man about it and even so far as held your hand and told you to push during labor since Roger was out of town. Our son-My apologies, I still think of him as that when I remember this-Your son was so small, so precious in your arms. In my mind it was without a doubt our son, my child to protect. I still felt a few pangs of regret that it wasn't really ours. We would have made such beautiful children together. Though I imagine one of them would have had red hair like mine._

__You dubbed me the Godfather and gave him my first name: Charles. I was honored and by that time had gotten over my resentment. Your son was handsome and every inch of him screamed Bertinelli as far as appearance went. How could I ever hate something that was not only a part of you but resembled you so strongly? The simple answer was that I couldn't. However, once Roger arrived my cheerful illusion was brushed away by reality and I could no longer stay in that damned room. You asked me to stay, but it wasn't my place. We weren't truly family after all.__

_Years passed. You bore two more children; Christopher and Nichole. You confided to me that you actually hated the name of your youngest daughter, Nichole, but had been constantly squabbling with your husband and didn't want another fight. Aside from silly lover's spats your marriage was a happy one. While I was slowly drowning myself in liquor to wash away my pain, I could at least take comfort that you were happy and living a good life. Well, at least until that bastard hurt you._

_After you found a lacy red thong in your suitcase you began to be suspicious that he was cheating on you. Who could blame you? It was incriminating evidence. You confided me about it and together we went on stakeout to observe the man while he was at work to see how loyal he was. After coming up with nothing you left, but I stayed. I often wonder what would have happened if I tagged along with you. Would you two still be together? Would his cheating have come out one way or another?_

_I like to think so._

_For no particular reason save instinct I stuck around and waited after you left. Depending on your perspective, I thankfully decided to follow him as he got into his car and tailed him undetected into the Suicide Slums. His destination merely strengthened my suspicions of him playing dirty. Roger, as it soon became painstakingly clear, had gone to such a dreary neighborhood on a business trip for the Mafia and to be friendly with a common prostitute. Bastard. After chumming it up with his colleagues he went to his boss: the notorious Steven Mandragora aka the murderer of the Bertinelli family._

_When I deduced exactly what was going on here, I was enraged. How dare he do this to you! Didn't he have a clue how infinitely precious you are? How rare your love was? Did he have any idea how there was another man on the side who would have given his life to you? I doubt it. Once I made sure facts were facts, I gathered all my information and wits in preparation to confront him about what I had learned. Not too long after his meeting had ended I found him fiddling with his keys in front of his car and took the opportunity to jump him._

_Can't quite recall exactly what I said, but whatever it was I'm glad I said it. Roger had no idea who I was at first and pulled a gun, but after disarming him and beating him to a pulp he sure as hell knew it was me. We traded blows until he finally demanded that I told him what I had been yelling about. After shouting at him what he had done he offered a pitiful excuse about needing money and trying to put food on the table. I asked him if he had any idea how lucky he was to call you his and that I'd kill for someone like you to love me._

_I have never forgotten his response._

_"Aw, that's just it, isn't it, Viccy?" Roger laughed, "Do you think I'm blind? I see you making puppy-dog eyes at my wife every time you're around her! You always act so polite and when she gives you a freak'n hug goodbye you get this look on your face like you're getting a damned handjob! I got news for you, buddy! Helena's mine! I don't know why the hell you still seem to think that you've got a chance but you don't!"_

_His words felt like a slap in the face. I always thought I had been so careful about hiding my feelings, but he had known all along."You're like a homeless puppy with no family to call your own so you hang around mine! Do you honestly think Helena doesn't know you have feelings for her?" He asked me."She thinks you're a freak! A loon! You think she actually likes hanging out with you? Every time she comes home after going on patrol or spending even a minute around you she complains about how clingy of a guy you are and how paranoid you make her. She always goes on and on about how lonely you must be but if you'd just stop being so crazy people might actually like hanging around you!"_

_But what hurt most of all was: "The only reason Helena hangs out with you is because she knows you like her. She thinks it's cute, like a school boy having a crush on his teacher, but she knows you don't really have a chance. Hell if you didn't babysit for free when she asked she would have dropped you long ago!"_

_How-How could you think that? Use me like that? Say something so awful? Even if we weren't lovers I had believed we were friends, but friends didn't bash on other friends so harshly like you did. My mind raced as I tried to come up with an excuse for you to voice such hurtful thoughts, but I couldn't think of one. Then I remembered the bastard didn't even know you were Huntress. Obviously he didn't know you as well as he thought._

_After our little verbal smack-down, I headed to your house with my mind deeply immersed in thoughts about you. Telling you this had to be done, but I dreaded it like a child getting a shot. I sat you down and broke the news as gently as I could, but no matter how hard I tried it was still terrible and you asked me to leave your home as your eyes filled with tears._

_Much like I had taken to doing when upset, you went out to a bar for a few drinks to dull the pain. Alcohol is a fantastic anesthetic as we both know, and when I approached you in the bar you were drunk out of your mind. I told the man attempting to pick you up to beat it and after some struggle managed to get you home. A small part of me wished in your drunken haze that you would make a move to seduce me like you had so many years ago in an alley, but a much stronger part simply wanted you to sleep and forget your troubles._

_We managed to stumble into your apartment before you made a beeline for the bathroom to go vomit. After handing you a few pills to take to prevent you from getting a hangover I told you that getting drunk was stupid. It led to you to yelling at me and somehow calling for me in your bed to join you. I sat down by your side and before I could quite register what was happening you threw your arms around my neck and burst into tears. Frozen, I did my best to comfort you by rubbing your back and trying to think of words of encouragement. Still wonder if it made you feel better._

_Somehow we ended up tangled up in the sheets together, the two of us lying side by side as you slept. I pulled your body close to mine and felt pleased as you rested your head on my chest. As we laid there I couldn't help but speculate on how perfect our bodies fit against each other, as though they were designed that way. We truly were made for each other._

_As we laid in the quietness and darkness of your bedroom, I absently began to stroke your hair. You looked so small and vulnerable in my arms and at that moment I wanted us to stay like that forever. I was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of despair as I looked at you. Why didn't you love me too? I loved you so damned much but you couldn't even bear to think of me as more than a friend. What was wrong with me? Don't perceive me as a fool; I knew it was a lot of things. I was crazy, socially challenged, forgetful, annoying, clingy, paranoid, unpleasant, creepy, bad with women, unhygienic, poor as hell, without a family, unattractive, depressing, and so very fucked up._

_But...I wanted to believe you would look past that and accept me as a lover. I found myself whispering my question into the dull silence of your bedroom, my hand grasping yours as though my life depended on it. Once that gate was open multiple things began pouring out of my mouth uncontrollably. That I loved you and always had; how beautiful I thought you were; my loneliness; how good it felt to hold, touch, and kiss you; that we would be perfect together; about our children on another world._

_Ah yes, it appears I forgot to mention that. While studying separate Earths I found one identical to ours up until we met at the docks. From there, they split off. On it we had four beautiful children, and you were so wonderfully mine. But enough about that._

_Telling you everything even though I know you couldn't hear me cleansed me. I felt redeemed after I had finished. And after I whispered that I loved you and kissed your cheek tenderly, you smiled in your sleep and scooted even closer to me._

_It was one of the happiest moments of my life._

_In the morning Roger barged in and ruined our safe little world we'd created in your bed. We fought with him and lied that we were now lovers. Hell, a few months later in court we pretended to be together going so far as to make pretend we were having sex when your asshole ex (I do enjoy calling him your EX-husband) decided to follow us. Being pressed against you so intimately and personally felt fantastic. I can only hope one day it occurs for real if it already hasn't._

_While in bed together in the 'aftermath' I couldn't help but...pop up. Sorry, but you're unbelievably gorgeous and being so close to you in a bed was too difficult for even one with so much discipline myself. My awkwardness was pathetic as I shuffled out of your room in shame. In the morning, however, I was rewarded. You approached me asking about my scars and I told you all about Cadmus. Even now there are things I left out in regard to my torture, but some things are better left a mystery._

_Not too long after you invited me with you to a little cafe. Hardly my type of place, but I complied nonetheless. You convinced me to try a coffee that was surprisingly good, but still undoubtedly evil. As we chatted a small slip of your lips caused a questionable comment to be voiced about French kisses, and I excused myself to use the restroom out of sheer awkwardness._

_We have kissed before. I don't know if you remember it, but every single time we have ever shared a kiss it has been burned into my mind. The first time was after your bridal shower. You were drunk out of your mind as we stumbled out the door into an alleyway and in the middle of our conversation you threw your arms around me and kissed me softly. I allowed you to for a total of six seconds before pushing you away and saying we couldn't continue._

_Yet again you kissed me, this time more ferociously while shoving me against a wall. My resolve crumbled instantly as you wildly covered your lips with my own, and even if some had remained when your hand slipped into my pants it would have vanished. We almost made love that night. Well, actually it would have been drunken fucking, but still. We made it all the way to your living room sharing passionate kisses and caresses before I stopped us from going too far._

_Why would I do this? Simple. I didn't want to take advantage of you. Bottom line was I respected you too much to do it, and though I'm ashamed it got that far I did enjoy it. Flash forward a few years and our next embrace was in my bed. This time it was I who initiated it while stuck in my apartment with a cold; a cold being the only reason I got away with it. Kissing you for revenge with Roger was enjoyable as well, but it wasn't what I wanted._

_Just once, just one damn time, I want to be able to kiss you sober and tell you I love you. Just once. Why is something that should be so simple so damned hard? We would have been so, so, so good together, Love. There is so much compatibility between us I wonder how you can't see it. We both are vigilante's; neither of us fit in with other heroes; we're both orphans; we know what it's like to be considered insane; we are both outcasts, the list is endless._

_Why don't you think so as well?_

_Actually, I'm beginning to suspect you do. While at that cafe I previously mentioned you were (dare I say) jealous about another woman showing interest in me. I can feel something that wasn't there before present. We act differently. The line between good friends and something more has become blurred._

_Hope it's not all in my head, but I doubt it. There is too much sexual attraction to be ignored between us. Perhaps we truly did get together before my passing. I hope so. If we didn't, then let these words be my last._

_I love you Helena, so very much. I've loved you for over fifteen years and through marriage and children have remained faithful to my emotions. My longing for you never subsided nor did I cave to reason and lose hope. You are my angel, my face when I have none. You are my confident and my friend, but above all things you are my soul mate._

_I think you're beautiful in every way. Even when you sass me and I want to wring your neck I still love you. I have for years and will never be able to stop. Currently, I have no idea how our story ends. Did we get together before I passed and you found this letter on my hard drive? I hope so. Did we never become more than friends? Well, at least I was able to call you my good partner._

_Please don't think I wrote this letter to make you feel guilty or to complain about how awful my life was. I typed this up simply to tell you something I've wanted to for years. Now that is finally is off my chest and you know my secret, I can rest in peace. Perhaps if there truly is an afterlife we will be joined in it and remain together for all eternity._

_Do not mourn me. Do not waste your time wishing I was still with you. Live your life and be happy. I wish it was me making you happy, but a happy Helena no matter what is a good thing. Don't cry over our love; celebrate it. I love you, I always have and will. Even in death it won't change. Being with you even when we were nothing more than friends made me not only more positive but a better person. Out of every person I have ever met, you are the most special of them all, My Helena. Knowing you was the experience of my lifetime. Take care of yourself, my beautiful angel. I'll always be with you in spirit._

_Yours forever, _

_Vic_

_PS- Don't forget about what I told you about Microsoft. I don't need you to join me in death because you caved to them. Also, if you don't love me back, that's okay. But it doesn't mean I'll stop loving you. Ever._

Eyelashes caressed with tears like dewdrops on the morning grass, Helena quietly closed the laptop and tried to hold back the waterfall threatening to pour from her eyes. God, how had she never noticed? How could she have been friends for so many years with this man and never realize he loved her? What type of cold-hearted bitch didn't pick up on something like that?

Helena had loved him as well. She lacked the courage to say it before but no more. She loved Vic Sage like she had never loved another human being. Quirky, eccentric, sweet Q who had told her she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and that he loved her more than she would ever know. Vic, who had offered on more than one occasion to let her stay with him if needed and take care of her, she had been so cruel to, even if it was indirectly.

Helen, unable to hold back, burst out weeping and collapsed onto his bed, burying her face in his pillow to soak up her tears.

No, no, _no_! It couldn't end this way! Yes, she told him she loved him, but God! It wasn't _fair_! Vic didn't deserve to die; he deserved to wake up with her in bed and have her cook him breakfast.

Her heart felt as though someone took a hammer to it and shattered it into a trillion pieces. No more sharing Chinese and discussing insane theories; no more sharing late-night talks while on patrol; no more fighting side-by-side and feeling that victory when they won. No more anything.

No more Vic.

Helena wasn't sure if she could take it.

'Did we get together?' he had asked in his memoir. Helen didn't know. Sure, they weren't getting married or anything, but in the last few moments of his life they had confessed their love and shared a kiss like no other. That had to count for something.

Knowing that Vic would never call her up in a tizzy at three in the morning to rant about his latest theory again filled her with an emptiness she hadn't felt since the untimely death of her own parents. How much loss could a soul take? How many times could ones heart be broken before it was unable to be fixed?

Helena had no idea.

Vic's last few requests in his letter echoed in her mind. He said he wanted her to be happy and live life to its fullest extent. Q had wanted her to go on living when he was gone, to avoid what Bruce Wayne had done when he lost his parents and to get over it. He knew it would be hard at first and tare her to pieces, but in the end all Vic had asked from her was to keep living life.

It seemed impossible at the moment.

Deep down Helena knew she was too strong to break and never be fixed. A part of her had grown to accept that tragedies such as this would only make her stronger in the long run. One day, she would be better. Never completely healed, but better.

That day was a long, long time away. Right now Helena was content to remained snuggled deep within her love's sheets and reminisce about the strangest and most wonderful human being she had ever met. She loved Vic Sage plain and simple; that would never go away. Even on her deathbed Helen would think of the redhead who had been not just the true love of her life but her greatest friend.

Through everything, Vic had remained right about one thing. No matter what they had gone through, nothing could have changed the single thought that could have been reality if Fate allowed it. They were great on their own, but together…

Together, they would have been incredible.

**End**

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><p><strong>AN This story was so different from others I have written in the past. It focused much more on lust, love, and angst than anything I have previously written and I personally am immensely proud of it.**

**I originally wrote this last chapter you just read as a one-shot back in March. After some debate I decided I had enough to make it a multi-chapter fic and now one almost year later have finished it. I think I'll grab a margarita, sit back, and go watch The Dark Knight to celebrate.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who stuck with this little work of fiction. I love it so much when I hear back from you guys and have come to realize I have the best readers and reviews in this archive:) For that, I am very grateful. So thanks again and as always, let me know what you thought of this ending and review.**


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